When He's Needed Most
by Roseinthethorns01
Summary: Dani's life is turned upside down when what family she has left is ripped from her. Just when she had lost all hope of finding them, an unexpected face from her past resurfaces to breathe hope back into her. Dani is in for a fight to recover what she has lost and to hold onto what she has found.*Summary sucks, I know. There is a 'M' Single Chapter Version of story available as well
1. A Little Too Quaint For Some

Hey there, thanks for checking out my Star Lord/OC story. It takes a few chapters for our canon cast to enter so please stick with it. I hope that you enjoy this little fiction I came up with. This first chapter is a bit of a short filler, introducing my OCs and a little background for them. Enjoy, if you like, please leave me a review. I appreciate all of them, even constructive criticism, it helps me grow as a writer.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Chapter One**

Daniella Patrick's story truly begins on a cool fall day in the beginning of October. She sat in an old wicker chair at her favorite table, situated next to a large bay window in her favorite coffee shop, The Java Beanery, in town. To be entirely honest, it was the only coffee shop in her hometown of St. Charles, Missouri but that's neither here nor there. She leaned forward, reaching for her orange and white Halloween themed mug while her bright emerald green eyes remained glued on the crossword puzzle in the local newspaper.

A blur of red and baby blue passing by her table pulled her attention from the puzzle.

"Hey Amelia!" She called to the redheaded waitress in a baby blue shirt and tight black capris.

The woman, only a few years older than herself, turned back to her, balancing a tray of empty, used coffee mugs in one hand and a steaming pot of black coffee in the other.

"What's up, Dani?" Amelia asked, popping her gum. Her heavy Midwest accent seeming to pop as well whenever she spoke.

Dani lifted her newspaper up for her friend to see.

"What's a seven lettered word for 'Cornered'?"

Amelia moved closer, glancing at the puzzle over Dani's shoulder, her mouth moving silently as she read to herself.

"Starts with a T, huh?" She asked, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"That's easy. Try 'Trapped', Hun. Just like me at this hellhole." Amelia huffed. She hip checked Dani's shoulder as she moved around the table.

"Hey! I love this hellhole. The coffee, the atmosphere is superb. And nothing beats the stellar customer service, my dear Amelia." Dani raised her mug, saluting her waitress and best friend. Amelia snickered loudly as she refilled Dani's cup.

"The customers definitely don't come for our shitty coffee. They come for the free Wi-Fi, not that you're one of them.' Her gaze landing on the newspaper. 'Do you even use your smartphone?"

Dani rolled her eyes.

"Of course, I do, just not all the time. I hate seeing people with their faces glued to their phone screens. I just don't care for some of today's technology. Feels like the more electronically connected we are, the more we distance ourselves from actual human interaction. It's sad honestly." She explained, flipping the powered down phone around in her hands as she spoke.

Amelia placed her tray and coffee pot on a nearby table. She slithered into the empty chair across from Dani.

"That's real deep and all. So, being you brought him up, how's Terry?"

Dani glanced up from the phone in her hands, a huge, knowing grin spreading across her face.

"Really? Still? You gotta balls up and tell him how you feel."

Dani's older brother, Terrance, had dated Amelia about fifteen years ago. It seemed to be going well until Terry accepted a job offer in Los Angeles at a prestigious law firm. He had wanted Amelia to come with him, but her mother had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease not long before and she couldn't bear the idea of leaving her behind. They tried to make it work but you know what they say about long distance relationships. They drifted apart a couple months after Terry moved.

Amelia scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah right. He's probably dating supermodels and taking vacations on the French Riviera right now. He is a Patrick, after all."

"Hey now! I'm trying not to be offended here." Dani snapped, not actually offended. Amelia swatted her hand playfully with a napkin from the table.

"Oh, don't be acting butt hurt. Though I do wonder why you stick around. I mean, you're set for life. You could be in LA right now living the good life, full on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Instead, you're living here in Podunk, Nowhere Ville in your parents' guest house. It's weird and unhealthy."

Dani paused, contemplating her response. What Amelia said was true. If she so chose to, Dani could be attending red carpeted events and spending her days sipping champagne by the pool, but that wasn't who Dani is.

On paper, she is Daniella Rose Patrick, only daughter of Jonathan and Christine Patrick. Dani's father, Jonathan Andrew Patrick, had been an only child so he inherited his father's, Reginald, company that he had built himself into a multi-billion-dollar cleaning supply business. Being that Jonathan was an avid supporter for the betterment of the environment, he transformed what had been originally named Best Quality Chemicals, LLC to Greener Existence Logistics. He singlehandedly reinvented his father's start up into the world's leading producer of environment friendly products such as cleaning supplies eventually branching out into solar and wind power projects. Dani wasn't 100 percent sure what all her father had been funding, she had never been interested in taking the company over when the time came for Jonathan to retire. He, thankfully, had always respected her wishes. Though Jonathan and Terry had a short falling out when Terry made the same declaration. Jonathan had been so looking forward to passing the company to his son.

Jonathan had met their mother, Christine Marie Marnell, in all places, at a rustic coffee shop in Los Angeles. Christine had moved there less than six months prior from St. Charles to pursue a career in acting but had taking up waitressing to pay the bills in the meantime. Jonathan's hotel had been two blocks from the shop. He had been captivated by her stunning blue eyes from the first time he seen her, coming to the coffee shop usually two times a day to see when Christine was working. Jonathan would joke with his children that one time, Christine accidentally spilled coffee down his pants and he knew at that moment, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with the stunning, accident prone Midwest beauty.

Dani would laugh when he would tell them about how she turned down his proposal, not once, not twice but six times. She really did have her heart set on becoming an actress and didn't want Jonathan's name to influence her climb, wanting to do it herself.

Everything changed when Christine became pregnant with Terry.

After giving birth to Dani's older brother, it was love at first sight for Christine and she wanted nothing more in this world than to spend her life with Jonathan, raising their children and being the best mother and wife she could be. They were married not long after and she talked Jonathan into moving back to Missouri to be closer to her family and friends. He had no family left himself, so he didn't need much convincing, just his new family by his side to be happy.

"Hey, Space Cadet!" Amelia's voice pulled Dani out of her own head.

"Yeah, sorry. I guess everything I've ever known is here. I was born here, raised here, had my first everything in St. Charles and when I die, I'm going to be buried here next to my parents and grandparents. Besides, where else am I going to get such amazing coffee?"

Amelia's chuckle was cut short by a louder voice calling out.

"C'mon Amelia! These dirty dishes aren't gonna clean themselves." Tina, owner of the shop, called out, pointing to an overflowing sink full of mugs.

Rolling her eyes, Amelia pulled herself out of her chair.

"Excuse me but I must be leaving, my Overlord is calling." She whined, pulling the tray back off the table. A thought struck Dani.

"Amelia, hold up. I was just thinking. Terry's arriving in a few hours so we can go over some paperwork on my parents' estate. He also said he had something important that he needed to speak with me about. You should come by, say hello, maybe confess your undying love to him. You know, small talk. Please?" Dani clasped her hands together, begging her best friend.

The redhead paused, staring vacantly at the floor, squeezing the coffee pot handle tighter as she absently chewed on her bottom lip. Her dark blue eyes drifted up to meet Dani's as she deliberated the request.

"I'll think about it."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Well, that's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed the introduction of my OC, Dani along with her best friend. It's a little short, I know but it'll grow and pick up soon. Yes, it seems a little corny that my OC is rich, I didn't want to make her so for the sake of creating a Mary Sue but she will need to be in chapters to come, you'll need to read on to see what I mean. Thanks for reading!


	2. Family Drama Knows No Bounds

****A/N: REWRITE! Hello everybody! I have decided to rewrite this chapter because, to get to the point, reading back through this one, I kept getting annoyed with the badly formed Irish I put in. Looking back, I realized it's not necessary and its corny and disstracting. I hope this comes out much better this time around.**

**P.S. I also have a character list wrote up for all the OC characters in this story. Pretty much famous actors I drew inspiration from for their appearance. Here's a quick outline if it helps, it did for me.**

**Daniella Patrick- Sarah Carter (known as Maggie from Falling Skies)**

**Terry Patrick- Jamie Dornan (known as Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey)**

**Amelia Mitchell- Alicia Witt (Two Weeks Notice and Urban Legend)**

**Christine (Marnell) Patrick- Courtney Ford (I loved her as Kelly from Supernatural)**

**Jonathan Patrick- Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement).**

***I'll list more as more OCs are introduced.***

**Chapter Two: Family Drama Knows No Bounds**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

(**Later That Evening**)

"What do you mean 'I left you high and dry'? My mom was sick! I couldn't just drop everything and run off to L.A. with you. I have responsibilities to my family. Not everyone has their own private jet at their beck and call!" Amelia hollered, her voice echoing down the hallway into the kitchen where Dani was currently at.

Well, hiding out would be the more accurate term for her cowering in the kitchen like a p**sy.

She stood hovering next to the kitchen island, a glass of more rum than coke clutched in her hand. She flinched as a loud bang burst throughout the first story of her parents' house, its origins coming from without a doubt, the living room. She said a silent prayer that whatever had been thrown in anger, wasn't something of importance.

"I loved you, Lia! I would have stayed if you only asked instead of shutting me out. I would've been here for you. You're the one who pushed me away, remember?" Terry's deep voice hollered back.

Dani could hear Amelia's scoff from the kitchen.

"You have a funny way of showing it. What's it been, ten, fifteen years? Not one phone call, message, email, nothing! It should have been evident that I needed you!" Amelia's echoing scream left Dani feeling extremely uncomfortable and a bit nosy but she doubted there was anywhere in the house where she couldn't hear the lovers' quarrel loud and clear.

"I'm not a damn mind reader!"

(_**Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.)**_ Dani thought.

Dani turned her attention to the paperwork strewn out on the kitchen table, trying to block out their thundering voices. Her eyes drifted around the kitchen, a sad smile lifting her face slowly. She hadn't been in her parents' house in nearly six months except until yesterday. She had gone to work tidying it up for her brother's arrival today. It was hard being here for her, too many memories.

She heard the front door slam. Her eyes darted to the kitchen doorway. Terry entered, his dark blue eyes stormy in unbridled fury as he scanned the kitchen, his piercing glare landing on Dani.

He pointed a finger at her.

"This has you written all over it, Dani." He said in a low and angry voice. Dani wasn't intimidated by her older and much taller brother. Dani smirked at him as she recalled her 37 year old brother carrying a safety blanket until he was 8, she found it hard to be intimidated by anything he did or said, knowing him too well and also that he would never harm her. She turned her gaze back to the papers, taking a sip of her rum.

"No idea what you're talking about. She leave?" Dani asked coolly. He dropped back into his chair at the table, snatching her glass and taking a large gulp, his face scrunching up in disgust.

"Hey, that's mine!" Dani snapped, snatching the glass out of his grip. He stood, making his way to the liquor cabinet.

"Yuck! How do you drink that garbage?"

"Beggars can't be choosers, mooch. You don't like it? You should have brought something with you."

Terry sat back down, a glass of his father's whiskey on the rocks in his hand.

"You're a mooch too, dear sister. How else did you pay for that dance studio you own? A loan from the National Bank of Dad." He snapped though he wasn't angry with her and she knew it.

"Amelia?" She asked again. His eyes softened, staring at the papers then up at her.

"She's on the porch, said she needed some air." Terry admitted, rubbing his hand over the five o'clock shadow along his jawline.

Dani nodded, lifting a small handful of papers and shifted them around for a few moments.

"Ok, Mr. Lawyer, this stuff right here confuses the out of me. What is..."

"You remember those cookouts Mom and Dad had every Friday night in the summer?" He interrupted.

Dani paused, staring up from the papers to look at Terry. His eyes were a million miles away even if he was only looking right out the open patio door straight into the back yard.

"How could I possibly forget? It was the highlights of the summer for Mom. Every weekend was a different theme. You know they found a mountain of confetti under the deck when they remodeled it a few years ago? I laughed my ass off; we could always start our own party supply chain with all the decorations in the attic."

Terry smiled halfheartedly.

"I doubt that many people are interested in twenty-year-old confetti."

Dani laughed. "You're probably right about that."

"My friends and I would always raise so much hell in this tiny town, especially during Mom's cookouts. Adult supervision was always lacking during her events. We would try to break into the liquor cabinet when no one was watching, you remember? I would con you to be our lookout, you and…." Terry froze, biting his tongue, realizing his near slip up in non negotiable territory, his blue eyes darting between Dani and his drink. There was a certain topic that The Patrick family, Dani to be more accurate, would not stand for and he was treading along the border of dangerous ground. He cleared his throat loudly, obviously uncomfortable.

"Uh… I… never mind. So, what were you confused about?" He reversed, wanting to change the subject pronto.

Dani wasn't a fool; she knew exactly who Terry had almost mentioned and thinking about him still caused a small ache to throb painfully in her chest even after all these years. Not wanting to dwell on something that should have been dead and buried, she swallowed thickly, pushing the papers aside and rubbed her face.

"I don't want to adult anymore tonight. I vote we get shitfaced and put on some tunes, maybe go into town and raise some hell. Patrick style."

"We gotta get this done. I have to be back in L.A. in a few days, Miss Party Heiress." He reached over, grabbing the shuffled-up papers, reorganizing them. Dani rolled her eyes as she stood and worked on making herself another drink.

"Come on, Terry. Not tonight. It's been what, almost a year since we last saw each other? We're all we got, and I don't want us becoming more distanced than we already are. Just let it go until the morning." She pleaded, moving next to him, holding the whiskey bottle out. Terry observed her then the bottle, contemplating for a moment before finally relenting.

"Oh, alright but don't be crying and whining when you have a hangover in the morning. We are finishing this, no matter what." He poured a little more into his glass as she smiled triumphantly.

"Bitch, please. We're of Irish stock, drinking's in our genes. You're the goody two shoes of the family, lighten up for once. It won't kill you." Dani sat, taking another drink as she put her feet up on her seat, pulling her denim short clad legs up into her chest.

"Besides, you had something you needed to talk to me about. Sounded pretty important."

Terry's entire face hardened, his eyes taking on that faraway look from a few moments as his mouth tightened into a hard frown.

"Ground control to Major Tom?"

He shook his head, his eyes shooting up to lock with hers. The intensity in his face was quickly masked with a fake smile.

"That's another 'Not Tonight'. It can wait until tomorrow."

She lifted a questioning eyebrow at him.

"You sure? I'm becoming curious now." He nodded, giving her a tiny smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"Ok, if you are sure. So…' Dani sipped, looking back up. 'You planning on talking to Amelia or leaving her waiting outside on our porch for another decade?"

Terry took a large drink, sighing out the after burn. "Now there's a predicament I've never been sure on how to fix."

"How about you go out there, say some epic chick flick line and sweep her off her feet in a mind-blowing kiss? It's a start."

He leaned back in his chair, giving Dani a glare that seemed to say 'Really?'. "It's not that simple now."

Dani scoffed. "Of course it is. You both still love each other, and both are just too damn stubborn and thick headed to do anything about it. You two stubborn mules are perfect for one another." Dani knew she was coming off harsh, but she was so over the Terry/Amelia love each other, hate each other pain fest long ago. Terry slyly glanced up at her over the rim of his whiskey glass as he sipped.

"Did she ever say that?" He inquired, playing the role of nonchalant.

Dani threw her hands out, halting that conversation.

"Nope, I'm trying to stay neutral but it's obvious that there's still something there between you crazy kids."

Terry snorted then chuckled at her words.

"Neutral? Okay, yeah. Coming from the woman whose longest relationship was two weeks. Quite the record, little sister."

Terry's comment brought her up short even though it was accurate. When Dani should've been riding the new relationship high, she never felt it. Within a few dates, Dani always broke up with whoever she was seeing. It wasn't that she is flaky or a tease. A few of the men she had dated, she really had liked but it was difficult to explain. It was an ineffable feeling, as though her heart was searching for something. What that was, Dani had no clue.

However, it did still hurt to hear Terry being so callous.

"I apologize for caring. At least one of us should be happy." She snapped, her grip tightening around her glass. Terry sighed, his face softening as he leaned forward, taking her hands in his.

"I'm sorry, Dani. I just worry about you, being alone all the way out here. Anything could happen. That's why I'm being so adamant about you selling the house." He explained, gently squeezing her hands.

"I appreciate your concern, but I stand by what I said, I don't want to sell. If it's about the money, I'll buy out your half of the property."

"It's not about the money. Why are you so damn stuck on living in this mausoleum?"

Dani clamped her mouth shut, her eyes narrowing angrily.

"We were raised in this house. It's not a mausoleum to me, it's our home."

"Dammit Dani! I'm not always gonna be around to worry about you. I need to make sure you're ok when I'm not here." Terry snapped, throwing his arms out in emphathsis.

"Stop being such a Debbie Downer. I'm fine, so stop worrying, I can take care of myself, brother. Deal with it."

Terry bit the inside of his lip, nodding. He didn't want to keep pushing the issue. Dani was right about what she had said earlier, they hadn't seen each other in quite a while, and he was being a stiff. This wasn't the intention of his visit.

"Alright, you win. I'll chill out."

Dani's smile lit up. "There. Was that so hard? I'm going to make another drink. You need anything?"

He shook his head, gathering up the paperwork off the table in case they spilt something. His eyes scanned the pages. Something was missing.

"Hey Dani, where are your bond certificates? I had all this in a nice, neat folder for you."

She pointed out the window with the neck of the rum bottle, towards the guest house.

"It's in a trunk in my bedroom." He looked over at her in disbelief.

"Why is it not with the rest of these documents?"

She shrugged, moving back to the table. Dani was nothing but a raging storm of disarray, he should know that by now. "Because that's where it is."

Terry sighed loudly, rubbing his temples. A thought occurred to her.

"I'll go grab them if you go out front and talk to your one true love?" She negotiated, placing her hand on her brother's shoulder.

"What happened to staying neutral?_"_

"I have a vested interest in both parties, so fucking man up and tell her she 'completes' you." Dani said, leaning down to kiss her brother's scruffy cheek and headed for the open patio door.

"Life's not a romance novel, missy!" He called after her.

_**(Oh, if only? I could go for a scantily clad, muscular Highlander right about now.)**_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Well, there's chapter two. I did my best on the rewrite. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll have the next one out ASAP.


	3. Damn You, Limited Spaces Chapter Titles!

Chapter Three

As Dani searched through a trunk in her bedroom, she could hear what sounded like more fighting coming from the main house. It would seem to her as if Terry and Amelia were back at it again. After a few more moments of rummaging, she let out a triumphant squeak as she pulled out the certificates she had been digging for out.

Making her way down the cream carpeted steps, her eyes landed on a certain silver picture frame that hung on the wall leading down the staircase. She paused, pulling the frame off it's nail. Her eyes scanned the happy, carefree faces of her family.

It had been taken on a family vacation to Navagio Beach in Greece when Dani had been in high school. Terry had just graduated from college, about to start law school. Terry had snatched her up and attempted to take a selfie of them. She had tried batting the camera away, laughing while he grinned cheesily. They didn't realize at the time that their parents had been behind them at a distance. Her father was sitting in the sand with her mother sitting sideways in his lap, her arms lightly hanging onto his shoulders as they spoke. Their beaming smiles and the expressions of pure love and adoration on their faces as they gaze at one another was beyond words. Dani always wondered what they had spoke of in that moment but never dared asked. It felt extremely private, as though at that moment, nothing existed in the universe except the two of them.

They had been so in love.

It was her favorite picture of them and it made her heart ache for them to be here now. Yet, it also caused her to be a tad envious of the love they shared. She herself prayed that the day would finally come when Dani found a love as strong and glorious as theirs had been.

It was then that Dani decided that she couldn't bear the idea of selling her family's home, the home that she had so many memories in, the good times outweighing the pain from the loss of her parents'.

As she steeled herself for what was certainly going to blow up into a doozy of a fight with Terry, a blinding flash of light glinted off the frame, partially blinding her. Dani set the frame back on the nail and headed to the back door located in the kitchen, trying to zero in on the source of the light.

Flinging the door open, Dani froze, rooted in the doorway, her brain glitching as she tried to process what it was that she was seeing. The flashing light, or lights to be correct, were coming from what she could only describe as a space ship hovering over her parents' large round about driveway.

Dani convinced herself that having too many glasses of rum and coke and not enough sleep were to blame for the hallucination. There were at least twenty people swarming the front lawn, carrying oddly shaped weapons. That's not what really caught her attention of the whole ordeal. Most didn't appear to resemble actual people, there were a few with strangley shaped heads and impossible skin colors. She saw a couple of blue skinned individuals, one who was bright pink, even a yellow skin man with tentacles for hair!

(**It's gotta be masks they are wearing, along with face paint to hide their identities. They're here to rob us!)**

Her brain finally kicked back into gear.

**(Call the police!)**

Turning away from the spectacle to snatch her phone off the counter, she glanced back only to stop moving. She spotted a familiar beacon of red in the distance. Running through the door and dodging behind a massive rose bush along the rock slab walking path, Dani was able to sneak a little closer. She zeroed in on the commotion from her hiding shrub. The odd group were now closing rank, moving steadily back toward their ship. It was then that the red she had noticed before was Amelia's hair. She seemed to be unconscious and flung over the shoulder of a large and very green skinned….thing. Behind them were two more of the collected group dragging a barely coherent Terry with them, his hands bound with handcuffs that seemed to glow bright in the dark night.

(**Terry…**)

Without a thought to her own well being, Dani leapt out from behind the bush, running towards the hovering ship. Terry spotted her sprinting up the path. His mouth was taped shut and his face was smeared with blood. His eyes widened in fear and he violently shook his head, as if he was trying to signal her to stop her pursuit.

Running as fast as she could, Dani's left shoe caught the tip of a protruding rock. She slammed onto the rock path hard, knocking the wind out of her and causing her left arm to land awkwardly under her as she was jarred onto the ground. Crippling pain shot through her arm, her eyes instantly tearing up with unshed tears. Dani's vision blurred dizzily in and out as her body struggled to recover the oxygen that had forcibly knocked out of her. She weakly pawed at the dewy grass in front of her as she gasped, still trying in vain to scramble on the wet earth to reach her brother and best friend.

A deafening wind blew harshly over her crumpled form, whipping her blonde curls into her face as she continued to crawl. She could do nothing but watch in stunned disbelief as the ship began to lift up away from the ground, circling the spot once before shooting upwards into the night sky.

Dani rolled out her back in the damp grass, watching the multi colored lights fade into the distance. She laid there, shaking, unable to process, unable to do anything but stare heavenwards as tears ran down her face. Moments ticked by as she continued to lay there, staring up into the stars, waiting for something, anything to happen but nothing came. Nothing but the sound of crickets chirping, nothing but the deafening quiet around her engulfed the woman as she held her breath.

Dani snapped out of her frozen trance, screaming. Not a startled scream but a deep, soul wrenching hysterical screaming that turned her voice to a raspy, strangled mess. She rolled into the fetal position on her side, sobbing in her broken voice into the ground, praying that this was a dream, that at any moment she would wake up in her comfy, familiar bed in her parents' guest house.

Only that never happened.

This wasn't a dream, more like the stuff of nightmares.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Eight weeks passed.

Eight weeks of nothing but police interviews, paparazzi invading the small town of St. Charles and Dani's front stoop, drawn in by the high profile of the case like flies to rotten fruit left sitting out.

Eight weeks of dirty looks and harsh accusations being thrown carelessly at Dani Patrick. She had tried to explain what had truly happened that horrific night but that only caused more heartache and pain for her, which made the following days much worse for her.

So much worse.

An alien abduction? Of course that sounds unbelievable in its own right but Dani had been so hysterical and devastated by that night's events, she didn't know what else to possibly to say to the first responders after she called the police.

In the coming days, the local citizens of her hometown, people she had grown up with, people that Dani had known her entire life, turned on her like a rabid dog. Some called her crazy, others vindictively accused Dani of completely snapping, killing Terry and Amelia. The locals made it quickly and painfully clear that she wasn't allowed in town. Within a week of their disappearances, the atrocious phone calls had started as well as the anonymous, threatening letters left in her mailbox. Some of the threats going even as far as threatening her life if she didn't turn herself into the authorities, prounouncing her guilt of murder. Too terrified to leave her property, Dani hadn't left her parents' house in days, having to order her household necessities online to be delivered to her door.

In desperation for an explanation, Dani contacted several UFO specialists she had researched online. Most of their theories were bizarre to say the least, each new theory being more extreme than the previous. In a last ditch effort, Dani had tapped into all of her father's business contacts in a desperate attempt to secure a meeting with Tony Stark, a friend of a friend of her father's. With his connections, primarily to the well known Avengers, mainly to this Thor character, she might finally figure out what happened and maybe Tony would have an idea on how to get Terry and Amelia back home.

After countless phone calls, emails and full out begging with business associates she had never even met, she finally got her meeting with the infamous business mogul. He had responded through Skype and their conversation did not go according to plan, much to Dani's dismay. When she questioned him about a possible way of contacting Thor, he had laughed comically and responded with a typical Tony Stark remark.

"He's essentially a god who lives on an alien planet across the galaxy. We didn't exactly exchange email addresses. He comes and goes with the proverbial wind."

Disheartened by the conversation, Dani fell into a state of despair, unable to come up with a solution that would succeed in returning her family back home.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Dammit!"

Dani slammed her laptop shut and dropped her head into her hands. Her head was throbbing from staring at the computer screen for hours, reading up on every alien conspiracy from Area 51 to the attack on New York City a few years ago. She couldn't figure out how any of this would be of help to her but she needed to act, needed to be doing something.

She glanced at her phone, seeing it was only a little after nine p.m. Dani shambled into her kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge, leaning back on her breakfast nook as she drank, contemplating on her next course of action. Walking past the kitchen window, she slowed, coming to a complete stop and slowly backtracked to glance out the kitchen sink window. Spinning around, Dani grabbed the wooden baseball bat she now kept by the back door. Flinging the door open, she bolted through it, running full speed up the path to her parents' house.

The living room light was on.

She hadn't been inside the house in over a week and she most certainly didn't leave a light on.

Slowing once she reached the front porch, she crept quietly up the steps. She checked the handle of the white oak front door.

Unlocked.

She definitely didn't do that.

Bat raised, Dani tip toed carefully into the house, through the hallway, her heart pounding to the beat of a drum line, up into her throat.

A shadow moved along the wall ahead of her.

Peeking her head around the corner of the hallway toward the kitchen, a darkened figure moved from the kitchen, making it's way down the hall. Ducking back, Dani leaned heavily against the wall, taking a deep breath to steady herself, her grip tightening on the handle of the bat.

Once the figure moved past her, Dani swung hard, not enough to kill but just enough to make a point. She felt the reverberating crack of the bat making contact with it's mark.

"OWWW! SHIT! WHAT THE HELL!" The figure, turning out to be a man, hollered as he hit the floor, clutching his left arm and side with his other arm. Dani leapt forward.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!" She yelled, holding the bat out in front of her as she trembled in fear and andrenline.

The man didn't answer, just continued to let out a string of obscenities that would have made a sailor blush. Dani took a tentative step closer, poking her weapon of self defense into his chest once for good measure.

"Answer me!"

The man lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. Take it easy, Joe DiMaggio!"

He lifted himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his arm once more, wincing at the resonating pain.

"I, ugh, I knew the family that use to live here years ago. I just got back into town, I guess you can say and I was curious if they still were around." He replied.

Dani snorted in derision.

"No, you are breaking and entering and I have every right to beat the living daylights out of you."

"That's where you're wrong, Babe Ruth. I have a key to the front door."

"I don't know how you got one. My parents built this house and there's only a select few who have a key and none of them are random ass nighttime creepers." She retorted.

The man went quiet. Dani moved back slowly, reaching along the wall blindly, flipping the light switch on. The man winched at the sudden light, glancing up at her once his eyes adjusted. He stared openly, taking in the sight of her.

"Dani?"

Dani faltered, moving a little further back.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded, her nerves banging out a rumba.

A slow smile of recognition spread across the stranger's face. "It's me, Peter. Peter Quill."

Dani leaned back against the wall again, her knees suddenly too weak to hold her up as her grip on the bat loosened in surprise.

(**No way…. Bullshit.**)

"No, you're not. Peter Quill is dead. He went missing a couple decades ago."

He scoffed, pulling himself up off the hardwood floor, revolving his shoulder around gingerly.

Dani quickly looked him over. If this guy really is who he claimed to be, her childhood best friend, then he definitely filled out. Peter had been a scrawny eight year old the last time she had seen him 26 years ago. Standing about 6'2, he did have Peter's light reddish brown hair, as well as his dark green eyes.

Not to mention that the man claiming to be Peter was also very, very attractive, in a rugged, manly sort of way.

Her eyes raked up and down, taking him in fully. He had on a tight form fitting shirt underneath a deep red leather trench coat with black leather pants which were much tighter than what she was used to seeing men wear.

The man loudly cleared his throat, causing Dani to blush furiously and look away. She was embarrassed for being caught checking him out and that stupid knowing smirk on his face was not helping.

"Hey Sweet Cheeks, my eyes are up here." He chuckled, getting a kick out of the different shades of red she was turning. Dani took a steady breath then turned back up to meet his gaze.

"How do I know that you're telling the truth? You have any ID?"

"Not exactly. Well, nothing in Terran that you would be able to read." He shrugged.

(**Terran?**)

"Huh?"

He sighed, rubbing his head in thought then quickly snapped his fingers, pointing at her.

"Your name is Daniella Rose Patrick. Mom is Christine, Dad is Jonathan, older brother is Terry. Born on May 21st." He recited, looking pleased with himself.

"Where did you find that out? Anyone can Google that." Dani scoffed.

"What's Google?"

"You're kidding, right?"

He stared at the floor, trying to remember things that only he may know.

"Your favorite song is 10cc 'The Things We Do For Love'. There's probably still a scar on your inner thigh from you falling out of your tree house when the rope ladder snapped when you were six, which my mother, Meredith, somehow blamed me for. Oh, you also have a birthmark on your right butt cheek shaped like Australia."

Dani's mouth dropped open, as she also dropped the bat. It clanked loudly on the hardwood floor. Her favorite song and childhood accident could've been explained away but her birthmark, no way. Her family knew about it. The only other person besides the deceased, Meredith Quill, was _her _Peter. She had told him about it once in confidence, he had laughed so hard, daring her to show him since he didn't believe her, in which she had finally relented.

Dani continued to stare at him, hands frozen in midair from when she had the bat raised. Shock and confusion prevalent on her face. She couldn't believe that Peter was actually alive, standing in her parents' living room.

Inching closer, finally finding her voice.

"P..P..Peter?" She whispered as emotion stifled her voice and made it difficult to speak.

A small smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth.

"It's really me, Sun Ray."

Her breath hitched, tears welling up at hearing the nickname that Peter gave her years and years ago.

"Umphh." Peter grunted out when Dani launched herself at him, crushing her arms around his broad shoulders as she clung to him, fighting back sobs. Peter returned the embrace, rubbing her back soothingly in an attempt to console her. Dani had given up on the thought of ever seeing him again. She had been in Meredith's hospital room when she had passed. Their moms had also been best friends since childhood. That was the last time she had seen him, carried out screaming for his deceased mother by his grandfather. Dani had wanted to go after him but her own mother held her tightly in her lap, clutching her close for support as she wept for her deceased friend.

Dani pulled away, composing herself, turning away from Peter. His face crumpled in confusion from her suddenly withdrawing from him.

"Dani?"

She turned back to him as she wiped her tears away. Peter raised his arms when she moved towards him again, thinking that she was going to hug him once more. He, however, never expected the stinging sensation sharply spreading across his cheek.

"Owww! What the hell?!" He exclaimed obnoxiously, his eyes wide as he rubbed his cheek where Dani slapped him hard. Her body began to tremble.

"You…you…thought…dead…" She stuttered before launching an assault of high flying slaps, anger coursing though her. Peter threw his arms up to protect himself.

"Dani! Stop! Why are you hitting me?"

He pushed her hands to the side, bear hugging her to stop the slap attack. She slumped against him, all the fight draining out of her as fast as it came on. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and laid her head on his chest.

"You left. Your grandparents, your friends and family…you left me. You were my best friend. I was hysterical, I thought you were dead!" She snapped.

Dani pulled herself out of his arms, sinking to the floor, sitting cross legged. Peter joined her on the floor, propping his back up against the wall in front of her a few feet away.

"I thought you had been snatched up by a child touching pervert or a serial killer. We searched for you for years. I couldn't get the image of you being sliced up by some psycho out of my head for a very long time." She confessed, unable to meet his eyes. She heard him sigh then glanced at his hand that was squeezing her knee but said nothing about it.

"Where were you?" She whispered, shoving his hand away childishly.

More silence.

"Tell me."

"It's a very long and crazy story that you will probably never believe." Peter finally spoke in a low voice, not sure how to explain the last quarter century. He was sure that she would think he was a nut job if he did. His eyes met hers, slightly taken back by the hardened resolve in the bright green depth.

She leaned forward. "Try me. After the last few months, I doubt anything else in my life could get any crazier."

Peter stared at her face for a moment before smirking, humor lighting up his dark green eyes.

"We'll see about that. Buckle up Dorothy, we're about to leave Kansas."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

*And enters our canon cast, I hope you like the story so far. Please review and let me know what you think.


	4. Throw Me A Bone Here

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It wasn't until Peter began explaining the last 26 years to Dani, which included being kidnapped by Yondu's Ravagers and raised to fight and thieve (in which they sounded like the space equivalent of pirates to her), did he realize just how out there his life had become.

He filled her in on more recent events which included his new friends he had met and how they saved the universe from some crazy war fanatic wielding some powerful stone that sounded like a magic rock to her.

During all this, Dani moved them into the kitchen, she was in dire need of something stronger to drink than bottled water.

So here they were, sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a bottle of Jack Daniels with some coke.

"So, let me get this straight. That night, you were abducted by 'Ravagers' who ended up raising you instead of eating you like some had wanted to. They trained you to be a 'legendary outlaw' where you were arrested stealing a metal orb off an abandoned planet. You meet your current crew/friends in space jail in which you broke out of to sell a magic rock while being hunted by a fanatic hellbent on destroying, well, everything. You guys turned the stone on him, killing said psycho and saving the day. Now you're basically heroes. Did I miss anything?" Dani reiterated, making sure she had understood him clearly.

Peter took a drink of the bottle straight.

"Well I would've said more of a 'legendary badass outlaw' but you pretty much nailed the specifics." He replied, enjoying the warmth spreading through his body from the whiskey.

Dani studied him for a moment, digesting his story, then nodded.

"Alright, makes sense in a really messed up way. I don't know why it took you so long to come back but ok."

Peter stared at her, dumbfounded. The can of coke he had been about to take a drink of frozen in midair in front of his face.

"Really, OK? That's it? I was expecting a lot more denial from you."

She shrugged. "I've seen a lot recently, I guess I'm numbed to the idea of aliens from outer space."

Peter glanced suspiciously at her but merely nodded.

"There is one thing I don't understand. Is that how everyone else in whole, wide universe dresses?"

Confusion flashed across his face as he looked down, taking in his long red leather coat and black leather pants. He lifted his arms in questionable defense.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, is it the Ravagers who are forcing you, a grown man, to dress as though you're on the set of an 80's Michael Jackson music video? That's a lot of leather."

He stared in mock disgust.

"First off, I'll have you know, there are countless cultures in the universe and in many, this is very stylish. Second,' he stood, flicking up his coat collar,' I make this look damn good."

Dani burst into a fit of hysterical laughter, clutching her side after a moment. It had been so long since she had a real, hearty laugh. Peter smiled to himself as he sat back down. It made him feel good to get her to laugh. He could sense that there was something deeply wrong but didn't know how to bring the subject up. All in all, so far, he was enjoying coming back to his home planet. Gamora had been talking about how therapeutic it would be for him to return to Earth, for 'closure' according to her. He had been hesitant about it at first but as time went on, he became more and more curious about his family and Dani.

(**Dani…**)

Peter was ecstatic to see her again and always wondered about her. Being here now, seeing her, all he could focus on was how amazing she looked. Dani had been an adorable kid who had grown into a complete knock out. Her long curly strawberry blonde hair was pulled up into an oddly cute messy bun, a few wisps falling from the bun that made Peter's fingers ache to tuck one behind her ear.

Peter's gaze moved discreetly down her body, taking in her shapely curves, his eyes lingering on her long sun kissed legs. She was wearing a short sleeve pajama shirt and matching shorty shorts, having ran out of her house without any thought to what she was wearing. Peter forced his eyes back to her face. There was no denying to himself that she was gorgeous, exactly the type of woman he would've tried to seduce on some random planet when he would dock his ship for any amount of time.

But this was his Dani, they had been in diapers together for goodness sake.

Peter had stupidly been envisioning a still seven-year-old Dani in his head as he flew the Milano closer and closer to Earth. He obviously knew she would be a grown woman now but wow, he had not expected the woman sitting….

He visibly shook his head.

As much as he enjoyed checking her out, Peter felt a little ashamed of his train of thought. There was just too much history between them for him to be thinking like this. Her voice snapped him out of his dark thoughts.

"What?"

She grinned, taking another drink of her Jack. "I asked if there was something on my face. You are staring blankly at me."

"I…. uh…. I was just wondering if there was a Mr. Patrick or vice versa. I didn't see a ring on your finger." He scrambled, saying the first words that popped into his brain.

"A Mr. Patrick, huh?' She chuckled. 'How modern but no, no Mr. Patrick for me."

Peter raised an eyebrow at her, he was having a hard time believing that there wasn't someone in her life. Just from what he had learned about her in the past few hours, a man would have to be nuts to let her get away.

"Not even a Mr. Right Now, that's hard to believe."

She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him.

"Why the sudden concern about my dating life, Mr. Quill? Interested, are we?" She inquired, her voice low and sexy as Dani leaned forward, propping her elbows onto the table, balling her fists up under her chin. She quirked her head to the side, glancing up into his eyes, making her bright green eyes widen innocently.

Her blatant question and behavior floored Peter. He knew she was just goofing but for an unexplainable second, he found himself nearly saying yes. Peter mentally chastised himself, he wasn't sure what was going on in his head. This was Dani, his childhood best friend, his little ray of sun and he had no right to be thinking or feeling what he was currently.

His dark, treacherous eyes stealthily scanned her body once more, lingering longingly at her tan, exposed legs again. Peter's gaze slid upwards, his eyes damn near bugging out like a corny cartoon. The way Dani had leaned forward towards him, Peter had a clear line of sight right down her pajama top, giving him an unobstructed view of most of her cleavage.

(**She's not so little anymore.) ** That nagging voice in the back of his head chimed in, shaming him once again.

Self-control was not his strong suit.

Sarcasm tended to be his strongest attribute, especially in moments such as these. Purposely radiating a sense of aloofness, Peter rolled his eyes and took a sip of his whiskey.

"You're still funny, Dani. I'm just worried you're going to end up an old spinster with 30 cats."

She gave him a cheesy grin, enjoying his banter. "Sounds promising. So, no Mrs. Quill I take it?"

"Nope, I'm a chronic bachelor or a hopeless romantic. I haven't decided yet. I haven't found the right one I guess." He admitted, giving a non-committal shrug.

"Well, whoever ends up being 'the one', I won't like her, no matter what. No one's good enough for my Peter." He chuckled at her comment, feeling strangely touched by the silly statement.

"So, what are you doing nowadays, for a living, I mean?"

"I own a dance studio in town where my instructors and I teach ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz, hip hop, you name it."

Smiling, Peter nodded. "Dancing, huh? That's not surprising. You definitely have the body of a dancer."

Her forehead scrunched up at his comment, not entirely sure what he meant by that. "You checking me out, Peter?"

Realizing what he had said, he took a large drink, clearing his throat obnoxiously before he finally did speak.

"That's quite a change in career.' Peter stealthily changed the topic. 'I figured you would be training seals at SeaWorld right now."

Letting his remark slide, Dani laughed, shaking her head.

"I changed my mind about being an animal trainer when my mom and dad took me to a ballet recital when I was ten. It was love at first sight." Peter's brows furrowed as he searched the room, realization setting in.

"Speaking of, where are Jon and Christine? I would like to see them again."

The smile ran away from Dani's face.

"You and me both. They passed away about three years ago. Car crash." She replied quietly, glancing dejectedly around the kitchen, her eyes beginning to burn. She felt Peter wrap her hand up in both of his, her gaze meeting his.

"I'm so sorry, Dani. I know it's tough. They were the best, always made me feel I was a part of your family." His words caused a sob to stick in her chest.

"Of course, you are, Stupid." Dani rasped, lightly pushing on his shoulder as she regained her composure. Peter leaned back in his chair, sipping his whiskey as her words bounced around in his head. He felt horrible for not coming back sooner, he truly had missed her. Yet, it made him also realize how hard it would be to leave her when he left Earth again.

Dani's thoughts ran over the evening's events, a sudden realization of her own hitting her like a ton of bricks. Peter went to stand.

"Bathroom still in the same place?" He joked, shedding his coat. Dani latched onto his arm before he could step away.

"Peter, I need your help. Do you know someone with a spaceship?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A renewed sense of determination coursed through Dani as she drove down the dirt road along the outskirts of town, Peter in the passenger seat. She was lost in thought, thinking through all the plans she had tried to get Amelia and Terry back and when she had needed it most, a possible solution fell right into her lap. Also knowing now that Peter was alive and thriving lifted a huge weight off her mind. As the years ticked by, he was always at the back of her mind, not at the forefront but there, nonetheless. She smiled as she drove her Subaru Outback, glancing over to the blast from the past sitting in the seat next to her.

Peter, however, was nervous, mainly on how Dani would react to meeting his friends onboard the Milano. He explained to her that none of them were from Earth, so they looked quite different than the two of them. She said that she would be fine, he hoped so. The others had stayed back on the ship, taking a short sabbatical for a few days while Peter reconnected with his previous friends and family on Earth. When Dani explained to him what had happened to her brother and her friend, Peter knew he had to help her. Dani offered to not only pay them but to also pay for any expenses they needed, fuel, food etc. He knew that Drax, Gamora and Groot would help willingly but Rocket would need a little more convincing and money was his best motivator.

"Nearly there. Just turn onto the road near Joe Turley's farm, another two miles and it'll be on the left." He explained as he pointed out the window towards their turn off. She nodded, making the turn then continued.

"Good choice on seclusion, by the way. The bank seized this property after he died with no living relatives. No one ever comes out here."

Peter merely nodded. "That's good to hear. The Milano would have definitely caught some attention."

Dani snorted. Peter raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

"The Milano? Really? Guess some things never change." She replied, shaking her head with a big smile on her face.

"What? She is smoking hot.' He paused, glancing over at Dani in apprehension. 'Is she still hot?"

Dani's smile grew. "Yeah, hotter than ever."

"That's a relief. Here it is." He pointed ahead of them.

Dani rolled to a stop, her eyes widening in astonishment and her mouth popping open. It was absolutely marvelous. She was totally digging the blue and orange paint job. She turned her car off and climbed out, grabbing a duffel bag out of the back seat before catching up to fall in step with Peter as they approached.

He glanced over at Dani. "You ready?"

She nodded firmly and gave him a confident smile.

"OK."

Peter pulled a small remote out of his knapsack, pressing a button. A ramp descended from the back, lights powering on inside and outside of the ship. They climbed up the ramp and he pressed a button on the wall that retracted the ramp and closed the back. Dani's eyes scanned the inside, trying to take in as much as she could. She really had nothing to go on when it came to spaceships to be honest. A female voice pulled her attention back to the now.

"Quill? You're back early. We weren't expecting you for a few days."

Dani's eyes landed on the woman approaching them, she fought the urge to widen them dramatically. The woman was completely green. Perfect features and amazing bone structure, she awed to herself but still green, really green. Green lady's eyes danced over Dani curiously before returning to Peter.

"Yeah, change of plans. This is my friend I was telling you about." Her brown eyes bounced back to Dani.

"Daniella, of course. I'm Gamora, nice to meet you." She said pleasantly.

"The pleasure's all mine, Gamora. Dani is fine, by the way." She replied, smiling.

"Not to sound rude but you never mentioned on bringing someone back with you, Peter"

"Well, Dani has a predicament I think we could help with. The others awake?"

Gamora nodded, heading to set of steps on the other side of a table in the middle of the room.

"Rocket! Drax! Get your asses down here! Quill's back." She hollered up the stairwell. Peter offered Dani a chair at the table which she gratefully accepted. As she sat down, a massively built, shirtless man with gray skin covered in red tattoos came down the stairs first. He had the brightest violet eyes that Dani had ever seen.

"Quill, I was under the assumption you would be gone for a few more days." The gray man, who Dani assumed was Drax, stated. Peter opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted.

"He must've sensed that I was taking apart bits of his ship again." A gruff voice answered. A blur of fur bounced down the steps and hopped up into a vacant chair next to Dani. She couldn't stop herself from openly staring at the raccoon next to her, her jaw now wildly swinging in the wind in shock.

Its gaze landed on her, glancing at her critically. "Picking up strays, are we?"

Dani squeaked loudly in surprise, violently pointing at the raccoon.

"It…it…talked." She stuttered out. The raccoon narrowed its gaze angrily.

"It has a name, the name is Rocket, Miss Blondie." Rocket snapped. Peter swore quietly to himself, scratching his head.

"I'm sorry, Dani. I should've mentioned Rocket to you sooner."

She stared wide eyed, her mouth still hanging open.

"You think?" Her voice bounced a few octaves.

She felt a tugging on the bottom of her jeans. Dani glanced down to see what could only be described as a six or seven-inch-high stick with arms, legs and puppy dog eyes staring up at her curiously.

"I Am Groot." It said.

Dani shrieked, reflex kicking the talking stick person away from her leg. It flew up into the air, a small shriek of its own shrilly filling the room. Gamora launched forward, snatching it out of the air before it hit the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rocket yelled angrily, turning in his chair and stood in an aggressive stance. Gamora cradled the stick person to her, trying to calm it down. They gray man merely laughed loudly at the whole ordeal.

"He's fine, Rocket. That was the funniest thing I've seen in a while." Drax choked out between deep laughs.

"Rocket! She didn't mean for that to happen. Dani is from Earth, not many fully sentient tree people here." Peter exclaimed, moving closer to their seats, stealthily positioning himself between Rocket and Dani. The raccoon growled one last time then settled back into his chair, still shooting daggers with his eyes at her.

Peter glanced over his shoulder. "You still OK?"

She took a deep, calming breath and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for reacting horribly. Until recently, I believed that Earth was alone in the universe." She explained as she nervously rubbed her sweaty palms on her jean clad knees. Gamora moved near her chair and placed Groot on the table. Guilt gnawed at Dani as the little guy scooted quickly away from her, making a beeline for Rocket's shoulder.

"What do you mean by 'until recently'?" Gamora asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

Dani shot Peter an unsure expression, receiving a gentle nod of encouragement from him. She cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. "That's actually why I'm here."

Settling into her chair, she recounted the night of Terry and Amelia's abduction in detail to the ragtag group. After explaining, she requested their assistance in anyway they could help with retrieving her brother and friend, whatever the cost.

Rocket spoke up at the mention of payment, ears perking in interest.

"Now you're speaking my language, how much we talking here?"

"About 50 large. I cashed in all my stocks, bonds, even my trust fund setup by my parents including my share of the family business when Terry and I finalized the buyout last year. If you can help me get them back, it's all yours. Half now and the other half when I get them back." She negotiated. Rocket scowled, scratching at his furry snout in contemplation.

"50,000 units isn't much compared to what we'll be going through. Sounds like they were poached by slave salvagers. Nasty assholes to deal with." Rocket explained. Dani scrunched her face up, clearly confused by everything he just said.

"What are units? Slave salvagers?" She questioned, looking around, her gaze landing on Peter for an explanation.

"Units are basically a form of interstellar currency, for a lack of a better term. The exchange rate for U.S. dollars to units would be about two dollars to one unit." Rocket huffed at this.

"Great. So only about 25,000 units. We're not running a charity here, Lady." He snapped, shaking his head in disbelief, earning a stink eye from Gamora.

"Really?" She snapped, crossing her arms, staring hard at him.

Peter moved in front of Dani, crouching down, taking both of her hands in his. He squeezed them before looking up at her. She already had a sinking feeling in her stomach from his approach.

"Slave salvagers are not to be trifled with. They are cruel. They hop from planet to planet, kidnapping people to sell at auctions into slavery. I'm going to be honest, many of their victims don't survive the trip to the auctions. Not going into details but as I said, they are cruel." He explained gently, his heart hurting for her as he watched the tears escape from Dani's eyes and trail down her cheeks.

She fought back a sob as she roughly swiped at them away.

"I have to try." She croaked hoarsely, emotion tightening her throat. Peter nodded, standing up. Dani turned her attention to Rocket.

"Oh, by the way, I don't have 50,000 dollars or units, as you say. I meant 50 million so by your currency, I'm offering 25 million units for their return. If that's good enough for you, that is?"

Rocket's mouth visibly dropped. He then jumped up out of his seat.

"What are we waiting for?" He yelled excitedly, bouncing quickly back up the steps leading to what Dani assumed was the cockpit.

"Do you have a photo of your brother and friend?" Gamora questioned. Dani nodded, pulling a glossy photograph out of her pocket. It was of Terry and Amelia from high school, their senior prom picture to be exact. She had more recent photos, but she wanted one that had both in it. Gamora studied the picture momentarily before sliding it into her jacket.

She smiled halfheartedly at Dani. "We'll do the best we can. We know where most of their auctions happen, it's a good place as any to start."

Dani nodded solemnly, glancing back at Peter when he spoke up.

"Gamora's right, Dani. Alpha Bova is a great place to begin our search. Once we hear any news or find anything, we'll be in contact with you."

Dani's eyes widened at his statement.

"Contact me? No, I'm going with you." She corrected him with resolve. Peter's head shot up, his own eyes widening as well with surprise.

"What? No, definitely not." He exclaimed and waved his hands out in front of him in denial, as if she was asking for permission anyway. She stood up, crossing her arms while cocking her head, leaning on her right leg as she popped her right hip out.

"And just why not? Yes, this is a personal favor but it's also a business transaction as well, Peter. I'm not going to give you half of my money and you fly off into outer space." She retorted, ignoring the hurt expression spreading across his face. He couldn't believe that she thought that he would rip her off like that.

"Dani, we're professionals, this is what we do. You have our word that we are not going to swindle you." Gamora interjected, sensing the building tension in the room. Dani quickly glanced over at her, a hardened look now occupying her face that caught Gamora off guard by its intensity.

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment of your words, Gamora, please try to understand the basic fact is that I don't know what you may or may not be capable of. I'm not taking the chance." She replied firmly. Peter groaned loudly, rubbing his temples.

"You need to realize that the places we will be going are incredibly dangerous. We are trained to fight and know how to protect ourselves. Unless you failed to mention that you have been too, I can't guarantee your safety. We tend to attract danger." Peter jokingly added the last part, even if there was some truth to it. He was hoping that she would reconsider her stance. Slave salvagers were dangerous. Not to mention, if they did end up coming up with the worst-case scenario with her friend and brother, Peter didn't want her to be there to witness the bad news firsthand. He wanted to try his best to soften the blow if that was the case.

"Then show me some stuff, train me, I don't give a shit how you do it. I'm going with you. I can't sit in my empty house, alone, staring up at the sky out the window, wondering what if anymore. Please Peter, I just can't do nothing anymore." She begged, her eyes pleading with him. Dani moved in front of him, her hand clutching his arm in desperation.

She couldn't be left behind, the not knowing was driving her insane.

Peter's eyes drifted down to the hand on his arm before slowly trailing back to her face. Every fiber of his being protested the idea of dragging his childhood best friend into almost certain peril.

"Peter, please, for me."

All his resolve shattered upon hearing the desperation in her voice. He made the grave mistake of looking up into her eyes.

Those damn eyes.

He remembered Dani having green eyes, but his memories must've failed him looking back now. He didn't remember them being so bright, so beautiful like emeralds. And Peter would be lying if he denied that when his gaze met hers, his stomach did some odd acrobatics that he wasn't accustomed to feeling, when it came to anyone. He took a step back, suddenly needing to distance himself from her touch. Peter looked to Gamora, silently asking her what she thought on the matter.

Gamora's gaze bounced momentarily between the two humans before finding Peter's. She merely nodded, turning away, intending on assisting Rocket up in the cockpit to plot the course and prepare for their departure. She stopped short, gasping in surprise when she nearly collided with a very large, very fleshy wall.

"Damn it, Drax! What the hell are you doing?" She yelled, pushing him roughly on his shoulders. He stood back behind her, smiling, looking very pleased with himself.

"I have been perfecting my stealth for a while. I'm getting quite good at it. You guys forgot I was even here." He explained smugly, not able to wipe away his smile. Gamora huffed loudly.

"Well, go practice it elsewhere." She stormed off. Drax glanced back at Dani and Peter, confused.

"Was it something you two did?" He asked innocently. Dani gawked at Peter, incredulously as Drax followed Gamora up the stairs.

He just shook his head. "I'll explain him later."

They fell into an awkward silence now that they were alone. Dani continued to stare him down, refusing to relent. Peter sighed in defeat, rubbing his head.

"So, there's no way I can get you to reconsider?"

She grinned. "Come now, Peter. You should know the answer already."

Despite his frustration, Peter couldn't fight back his smirk. "Still the same stubborn Dani I remember as a child."

Dani raised an eyebrow at his remark, letting loose a mild snicker.

"Stubborn, eh, yes. Child, no. You've been gone a long time, Space Man."

Peter's eyes roamed over her face, moving downward on their own accord. He was basically checking her out again, but he couldn't resist the urge to do so. Dani was a fuller woman, not heavy but with the right amount in all the right places. Looking up, Dani's mouth instantly dried up, her tongue feeling like cotton in her mouth. She caught his eyes blatantly travelling the contours of her body. When Peter looked back up to her face, his eyes held a warm intensity that struck Dani speechless.

"Yes, I have. You've grown into quite a woman." He declared as if it was a matter of fact, giving her that half smirk that caused a strange fluttering in the pit of her stomach, as though butterflies were flapping wildly inside of her. Not sure how to respond to his observation, Dani cleared her throat and focused her attention to the large duffel bag she was now death gripping in her hands. She pushed it into his arms.

"Here's half of what I promised for the 'Before' payment. The rest is out in my car, along with a duffel of my stuff for the trip."

"Wow. I figured you were just packing up cash earlier. I didn't realize that you planned on going with us then. Do you need to stop back and get anything else?" He asked, flinging the bag into a nearby storage locker.

"No, I grabbed all that I will need." She replied, looking around the ship once more. She wondered where she would be staying.

It seemed that Peter had the ability to read minds. "Let's get your stuff and I'll show you where you'll be bunking."

After retrieving her belongings and parking her car under some nearby trees, Peter led her to her room. It wasn't much to really get excited over. There was a small bed, dresser, closet and an even smaller half bath connected to the room. Dani dropped her bag on to the floor, plopping down onto the bed, she was suddenly bone tired. She laid back and stretched out, getting a feel for the foreign bed, unaware that her metallic blue cashmere sweater had crept up, revealing a couple inches of her stomach. She glanced around the sterile room, jumping from being startled at seeing Peter lingering in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms crossed in front of his chest. His gaze was locked on her exposed skin.

"Comfy enough?" He teased, tearing his eyes away to look up at her.

"It'll do." She shot back, grinning. A sense of uneasiness crept through her as a mischievous glint lit up in his dark gaze.

"You know, if it's not to your liking, my room is bigger. Bigger bed too. There's plenty of room for both of us." He suggested lewdly. Dani flushed at his suggestion, not sure how to take that comment either. She sat up in the bed.

"We're not four years old anymore. Unless…well, it might be tempting if you still wear those adorable onesies with the footies and butt flap? Those were priceless." She teased, tossing a pillow at him.

Peter smirked, throwing the pillow back at her. "Those were awesome, despite what you may think. By the way, I sleep in the nude nowadays. So, make sure you knock unless you want to see something so hot, it'll blow your mind."

And with that, he moved back from the doorway, walking away down the hall as he smiled triumphantly from the look of stunned astonishment on Dani's reddening face.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	5. To Night Caps and Night Moves

**Hello, I just wanted to give my readers a heads up that this chapter does involve some drinking and some very mild suggestive behavior. I'll try to always warn everyone before a chapter. I will be having more mature chapters later on in which, I will be raising the rating of this story. So when the time comes for that, I'll let everyone know ahead of time so they aren't shell shocked. Anyway, enjoy and drop me a line!

Chapter Five

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Oh my god! That is horrible. How do you drink this stuff?" Dani exclaimed, unable to fight back the yuck face that overtook her, her eyes burning as she slammed the metal cup onto the table. Drax, Peter and herself were seated in what they referred to as the 'Common Room', having a few alcoholic beverages while Peter and Dani caught up as well as a few of them getting to know one another. Peter set his down as well, sans yuck face.

"It grows on you. We only use it to clean engine gears and to get drunk." He teased, releasing a loud laugh seeing the alarmed look coming from Dani.

Drax took a long drink. "Quill is only joking at your expense, Dani. We don't use this for cleaning gears."

She released a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Just for household cleaning." He added, bursting into infectious laughter at his own joke.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. You two are so funny. Nobody said Abbott and Costello were on board." She snipped back, taking another tentative drink from the reddish liquid that tasted the equivalent of how brake fluid smelled. Drax shot a questioning stare at her, glancing around the room to its only occupants.

"There's just the six of us on board. I know not of who these men are." He stated blankly, mentally counting off on his fingers the amount of crew on board.

"Dude, they're a famous comedy duo on Earth. It was meant to be another joke." Peter interjected as he tried to explain the humor that she had tried herself to convey to them. Dani smiled wistfully as she listened to the two men converse, it helped to take her mind off the stress of her current predicament.

"Then they must be truly funny for Dani to compare them to us, will they be joining us as well?" Peter shook his head, exasperated.

"No, never mind, bud."

He shifted in his seat towards Dani, giving her his attention.

"So, Dani, what have I missed out on these twenty odd years on Earth? For starters, is Alf still on television and are Hall and Oates still together?"

Chuckling at his line of thought, Dani took another drink before she answered him.

"Really? You've been gone all this time and the first thing you want to know is pop culture related?"

Peter shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a man of simple tastes."

A few hours and a couple of drinks later, Dani had quite the buzz going. The booze tasted horrific, but it also had its own way of creeping up on oneself. She giggled obnoxiously at a terrible joke that Drax had made about some race called Xandarians that she had barely understood but, thanks to the alcohol, made her laugh anyway. Her head was becoming fuzzy as did her speech.

She leaned forward onto her elbows against the glass table heavily, drink in hand. Peter had plugged in her iPod into the ship's PA system so they could have some background music. He had been elated at seeing the thousands of songs on her device. They had the same taste in music, having been raised by pop music junkie mothers. He had already gone quickly to work uploading her playlists to the ship's mainframe. The look of horror on Dani's face at learning that Peter had only a handful of songs from his mother's 'Awesome Mix Vol. One' tape all these years had been quite comical to witness. Back to the here and now, their conversation had somehow taken a turn, they now were discussing Peter. Drax had filled her in on some of his antics on previous missions of theirs.

"Now Drax, don't let that hard, sarcastic front fool you.' She pointed to Peter who was seated next to her. 'Mr. Quill here is a big softie with a heart of gold. Don't even get me started on the infamous 'Bobby Rhinehart' debacle of the summer of 1987."

Peter flushed red, anxious about what may come out of Dani's inebriated mouth. He pushed her cup down towards the table.

"I think it's time for you to ease up, Dani. That stuff creeps up on you and no one wants to hear about my youth."

She turned in her chair, a warm, lazy smile on her face.

"You're being modest, Peter." She glanced towards Drax.

"This is what I'm talking about. He cared deeper than anyone else I know, even if he vehemently denies it. He always looked after me, getting into his share of fights when the other kids picked on me for being rich. Peter's the bestest friend I ever had." Dani announced a bit loudly, turning her gaze back to Peter.

She leaned forward towards him, her hand reaching up to mess with his hair. "You were such a gawky, adorable dork. And now look at you."

Dani smooshed her hand to his stubbly cheek. "You are so handsome, like really, Peter. Like painfully good looking."

Dani's eyes squinted as she looked at his reddening face, mumbling more to herself. "How did that happen? Where did my gawky dork go?"

Her hand trailed down Peter's warm cheek, down to his jaw then his chin.

"Seriously. When did you get so man pretty?" She slurred followed by a hard hiccup that rocked her body. Worried that she might topple, Peter's hands shot out, gripping her shoulders.

"Ok, it's official, that's enough for you.' He snatched her cup out of her hand, setting it by his. 'You ready for bed?"

The song that had been playing, 'Golden Years' by David Bowie faded into 'Hungry Heart' by Bruce Springsteen. Her eyes widened dramatically in recognition.

"No, I love this song. I wanna dance." Jumping out of her seat, surprisingly steady, Dani pulled on Peter's sleeve lightly, trying to pull him with her.

"Dance with me."

Peter chuckled and shook his head, an amused smile creeping onto his face. "I normally wouldn't say no but I'm thinking you're about to pass out. You need to sleep; you'll be hurting tomorrow as it is."

She stuck her tongue out childishly at him, stepping back.

"You're no fun anymore. I'll burn off some of the booze with my mad skills. I'm dancing with or without you." Dani playfully pouted before heading over to an empty space by the stereo.

She swayed along to the music, allowing the catchy song to wash over her, completely losing herself in the melody. She danced around, mouthing the lyrics along with Bruce as she shimmed and moved to the classic tune. If she had been more observant and not so entranced by the song, Dani would've probably been blushing from head to toe.

Peter's eyes stealthily followed her every turn and sway, watching with amusement as she danced around, as though she didn't have a care in the world. As he watched, another feeling slowly bubbled up inside of him, one that Peter couldn't name. The feeling wasn't unpleasant, just foreign. It moved up through his stomach, making its way to settle in his chest causing Peter's heart to beat a little faster.

At one point in the middle of the song during an instrumental break, she swung her hips and dipped a bit, making his mouth go dry. It wasn't provocative by any means, but it was enough for the move to still make his blood pump harder. As if she knew his treacherous mind, Dani spun around, crooking her finger, beckoning him to join her.

"Come one Peter. You used to dance with me." She called over the music. Part of him wanted to but in his current conundrum with where his thoughts were drifting, that probably wouldn't be the best idea. As stated before, self-control did not come easily for him. Peter waved a dismissive hand at her.

"I'll owe you on the next song. Besides, I'm talking with Drax right now."

Dani's gaze flitted to Drax at the other side of the table. His face was planted to the glass tabletop, a thin stream of drool dripping out of his mouth as he snored, a particularly loud snort erupting from him.

"Uh-huh. Must be an enthralling conversation." She teased, turning her back to resume her dancing. Peter briefly narrowed his eyes at his sleeping friend.

"Lightweight traitor." He mumbled.

Dani was suddenly in front of him, pulling him up from his chair. "Come on, you promised."

Peter raised his eyebrows, surprised by how strong the 5'7 blonde was.

"Alright, alright. A promise is a promise."

She smiled happily as they moved towards her makeshift dance area, the last few chords of the song fading out. The smile on Dani's face faded away as all the color drained away as well when Donna Summer's 'Love to Love You Baby' began. She whizzed around. Peter fought back a snort of laughter as Dani made a beeline for the stereo, the tips of her ears burning red as she fought to change the song, her inebriated state was not aiding her on her objective.

"Definitely not, that's not awkward in the slightest." She mumbled, cringing when Donna moaned loudly during the song. Peter lost his self-control, a deep and hearty laugh escaping from him. Hitting the skip button, she visibly relaxed when the obviously sexual song changed. A saxophone filled the small area followed by a slow drumbeat. She recognized it as The Temptations 'Hey Girl (I Like Your Style)'. She turned back to Peter then paused, staring hesitantly at him as the song finally processed through her fuzzy brain.

"It's too slow. I'll find something else." She said in a rush, making to turn away. Peter grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"It's fine. We've never slow danced before and you know what they say, first time for everything." He remarked, his voice low, inexplicably pulling Dani into him. She moved into his embrace, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Peter snaked his around her waist, pulling her close to him as she placed her other hand above his inner elbow on his bicep which, she thought, was a lot firmer than she had been expecting. They swayed lightly in spot to the soft music.

"Well, this is different." She mentioned absently.

"Is that good or bad?" Peter's voice was low still, the tone he used was causing goosebumps to flash across her bare arms.

"It's most definitely not bad. Just different." She replied, giving him a smirk that her returned. Peter extended his arm, slowly twirling Dani before pulling her back into his embrace.

"So, you are still a dancer? That makes me happy to see. I was afraid that you had changed too much out here." Dani whispered. She leaned into him, placing her head on his chest as they danced, enjoying the warmth that radiated from him. She felt a small laugh vibrating in his chest under her cheek.

"Never said I wasn't especially now that I have the perfect dance partner. Surprisingly, Rocket's not very light on his feet."

Dani laughed quietly at the joke, lifting her head to gaze up into his dark green eyes.

"Well, that being said, anytime you need me, I'll be here for you." She said, not realizing the intense weight her words carried until after they passed her lips.

Backpedaling, Dani stuttered. "For dancing, I mean or a shoulder to cry on, you know, chick stuff."

She also hadn't realized how close her face was to his, Peter's eyes were staring intensely into her own. He smoothly ran his fingertips down her jaw line, gripping her chin between his thumb and index finger.

"I might hold you to that.' Peter whisper, his warm breath fanning across her cheek. 'I really have missed you, Sun Ray."

His face slowly appeared to be moving closer to hers, his eyelids sliding closed.

Panicking and needing space, Dani untangled herself from his arms and took a solid step back, feeling much clearer headed than a moment ago. She cleared her throat before speaking.

"You might be right after all. I'm feeling really tired now, I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Let me walk you to your room…"

"No, that ok, don't worry about it. It's just down the hall. Even I couldn't get lost." She smiled awkwardly at him as she side stepped around him.

"Dani."

She turned back only to be engulfed in a giant hug from Peter, his large arms wrapping around her.

"I'm happy you're here if only it was on better terms. Good night." He whispered into her hair, giving her one last brief squeeze before releasing her. It seemed as though the hug lasted longer than was necessary, but Dani summed it up to her mind, and the alcohol, playing tricks on her. She squeezed him back briefly as a bittersweet smile ghosted her lips.

"I've missed you too, Peter. Good night." Pulling away, Dani made her way out of the room as quickly as she could without making it seem that way, her mind racing.

Now pretty much along, Peter slid his hands into his pockets and allowed a stupid smile to overtake his features. He inhaled deeply, noticing that the air around him stilled smelled of jasmine and lavender in Dani's departure. That feeling from earlier was back, now settling in his stomach in a fluttering sensation that was all too new to him. He wanted to blame the feeling on the alcohol in his system but knew that it wasn't the cause. He barely had a buzz; too use to the concoction they had been drinking.

No, this was all Dani, through and through.

As he moved around the room, shutting off lights, Peter's mind wandered, wondering exactly what it was about his childhood best friend that was causing these stirrings inside of him. He could feel his heart still pounding in his chest, his nerves finally calming now that he was alone.

She was just so…. lively. That was the best word he could come up with, not to mention caring, upbeat and funny as hell. Peter shook his head as his eyes casted over Drax's sleeping form. Drax was already taken with her, then again, the big lug was easy to get along with once you got past his literal personality.

The stereo began playing a different song, pulling Peter out of his musings. He walked over to the equipment, intending on powering it down and heading to bed himself. Hearing the lyrics of the R&B crooner, Peter paused his actions, listening to the song filling the room. It must've been from after his time on Earth, he didn't recognize it and the tune had a newer tone to it. Glancing down at the screen of the iPod, he read that the singer was a man named Usher, the song was called 'U Got It Bad'. Listening intently to the lyrics, Peter realized that they were hitting a little too close for comfort. He turned the stereo off and left the room, grabbing his half drank cup on the way out. Peter took a deep swig as he walked down the cool hallway towards his room. His body slowed, his feet feeling like they were stuck in cement. His eyes coolly slid upward and to the left, landing on the door he was frozen in front of.

It was Dani's door.

(**Come on, Dumbass. Walk away, just go!**) His brain yelled for him to keep moving but his body seemed to have its own agenda. Peter turned toward the door and downed the last of his cup, dropping it to the floor carelessly.

(**A little liquid courage never hurt.**)

Peter straightened his shirt and smoothed his wavy hair back before reaching up to knock on the metal door. He was taken back when the door gave a little on his first knock, obviously not shut all the way. Curious, he slowly pushed it open, calling out.

"Dani! Your door's open. I hope you're decent." Peter waited a few seconds then stepped into the room. He scanned the small area quickly, his gaze landing on the bed. A tiny snort of a laugh burst out of him when he spotted Dani on the bed. She was face first on the mattress passed out with her blanket covering only the left half of her body from the waist down. She had tried to strip off her clothing haphazardly and seemed to have given up halfway through the process. Her right foot still had a sneaker on, along with her jeans wrapped around her ankle. Her lilac colored shirt from earlier was nowhere to be found, her light blue lacy bra was undone in the back but still on her shoulders. He didn't have the heart to leave his friend like that.

Working as gingerly as humanly possible, Peter kneeled, undoing her sneaker. He gently pulled it off and placed it on the floor then removed her bunched-up jeans from her ankle. He stood, contemplating his next move. His stormy eyes took in the smooth bare skin of her back, flitting to her unclasped bra.

(**No, I'm not even chancing that.**)

Peter leaned down, keeping his eyes fixated on the edge of the bed as he pushed her blanket away. Dani was half hanging off the bed and, worried she may fall face first to the hard floor, he needed to move her towards the middle. He slid one arm around her hips and his other under her midsection. Peter clenched his eyes shut, grimacing in shame when his hand skimmed the underside of Dani's chest.

(**Pervert**.) He chastised himself.

Peter gently heaved her up, lifting her a fraction off the bed then moved her to the middle. He shot up and snatched her blanket, his eyes betraying him as they briefly raked over her matching lace panties she was wearing before he tossed the covers over her body.

He froze when Dani begun to squirm, worried her top half was about to be laid bare. Thankfully, Dani curled up into a ball, pulling the blanket up to her chin as she snuggled deeper into her pillow. Peter breathed a sigh of relief. He already felt like a grade A perv for coping a small feel, even though that was not his intention.

"Peter?" She mumbled groggily; one bleary eye cracking open to look up at him.

(**Busted!**)

"Hmm?"

"I'm happy you came back home. I have my best friend back.' She drifted off for a second then resumed speaking, struggling to keep her heavy eye open. 'You really are man pretty."

A wide, humorous smile spread over his face. Unable not to, he leaned down and kissed her temple, brushing her curls out of her face.

"Me too, Sun Ray, me too." He whispered, standing up and moving towards the door.

"Look out for the purple lions. They're mad coz they don't like pickles." She blurted out sleepily, followed by a light snore leaving her mouth.

Peter bit his mouth shut, fighting with all his will to make it out into the hallway before breaking down in hysterical laughter after the door was closed behind him.

(**My god, that woman…**)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Hey, hope you enjoyed chapter five. Please drop me a review and let me know what you think.


	6. Hangovers, Dancing, Sexual Tension OH MY

**Hey there, sorry it took a few days to get this out. Work is crazy busy and it's gonna be even worse next week. I'll try to get more out as soon as I can. Thank you to the few who have Favorited my story and Following it as well. It's much appreciated. Maybe someone can drop me a review and let me know how I'm doing *hint hint*. Yes, I know I'm fishing but oh well. Enjoy!

**Chapter Six: Hangovers and Dancing and Sexual Tension, OH MY!**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Dani stumbled into the kitchenette area the following morning, clutching her head and whimpering in pure agony, heading straight for the coffee pot on the counter next to the sink. She failed to notice anyone else in the room.

"Good morning Dani." Drax exclaimed joyously in greeting, looking up from his breakfast plate. Dani visibly cringed, holding her head even tighter.

"Morning. Please keep it low until the pain killers and coffee kick in if you wouldn't mind, Drax." She muttered in a miserable voice. She honestly thought that she was dying. Peter sat at the table as well, eating his eggs and eyeing her with humor.

"I warned you. That stuff is pretty potent."

Back turned to him, Dani flipped him the bird, not bothering to turn around to do so as she poured herself a cup of black coffee. He released an amused laugh, climbing up from his seat.

"Scoot over, I'll make you a plate." He offered as he piled some eggs high on the plate. Dani's stomach rolled upon seeing the bright yellow, fluffy food.

"I appreciate the offer but I'm good with just coffee. I doubt I could hold it down anyway."

Peter glanced over her, taking in her baggy pjs and her disheveled hair.

"I know that I look like shit. Not everyone rolls out of bed and looks as though they just stepped off the cover of GQ." She grumbled, taking a deep gulp from her mug. A wide, smug smile crept over him, he moved closer to her, lowering his voice.

"Don't be that way, my dear Dani. I am so man pretty after all." Peter said, still smiling intently at her, snatching her mug and taking a drink out of it. His eyes playfully watched the confusion blossoming on Dani's face.

"Um, ok. Glad to see you have such a high opinion of yourself."

"You don't remember last night, do you?"

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she recalled the haziness of the previous night.

"The last thing I remember clearly was trying to teach Drax poker. The rest is a blur, flashes of dancing and that's it." She narrowed her eyes at him, a sinking feeling settling in her stomach.

"Why? I have a bad feeling judging by your remark."

Peter shrugged nonchalantly, his white smile growing even wider.

"Nothing much. You said a few things is all."

Her face somehow went paler. "What did I say?"

Drax was the one to speak up. "You kept going on about how great Quill is and how handsome as well. You did use the term 'Man Pretty' once though."

Dani moaned loudly, hiding her face behind her hands.

"Shit balls! I'm going to go jump out the air lock. It's been horribly traumatizing, guys. Catch you on the flip side." She attempted to make a hasty retreat to anywhere that wasn't where Peter is.

"Dani, come on, you didn't say anything that I didn't already know myself." He boasted, refilling Dani's mug and handing it back to her. She wanted nothing more than to smack the smug smile off his face, well, except maybe for her splitting headache to cease. She accepted the mug but still gave Peter a full mean stink eye in the process.

"You could've just kept that to yourself." She muttered; hostility evident in her tone.

"There was no way I could've done that. It was much too priceless not to share.' He tapped his temple. 'That's locked away in the mental lock box for life, Miss Patrick."

"Ugh. You're impossible." Dani groaned obnoxiously.

Gamora entered the room, making herself a cup of coffee. She took a sip before saying anything.

"We're less than two hours from Grallenx. Rocket already contacted an outpost there, they're expecting us." She stated to Peter, who nodded at the information.

"Sounds good. Thanks."

Gamora turned, glancing passively at Dani, who smiled at her. Gamora stiffly nodded at her then turned away, heading back out of the room. Dani tried not to take the cold gesture to heart, the crew didn't know her. Peter must've known what was going through her head.

"She'll warm up to you. Gamora's a tough nut to crack, she's had a hard life to put mildly. Rocket is honestly going to be the tough one. He's fueled by thinly masked anger and blatant sarcasm." He chimed in, not really succeeding in settling her nerves.

"We don't have to be BFFs. If they help me get my family back, that's all that matters to me and I'll be out of their hair." Dani replied, swirling the contents of her cup around absently, her thoughts troubled.

"It's not gonna be a couple of days expedition, I'd like for my friends to get a long for the sake of co-existing harmony on the Milano." Peter added. Dani nodded, looking up at him as she reached for his hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"You don't have to worry about me misbehaving, I'm always on my best behavior." She said, cheekily smiling up at him. Peter snorted at her comment.

"Not my Dani, I don't believe that for a moment."

He went to head back to the table but paused, giving her a once over, fighting back a fit of mirth.

"You might want to take a shower before we get there. And maybe brush your teeth."

Dani's hand shot up to cover her mouth, checking her breath with a grimace to realize that he was right in his observation.

"My god, I smell like booze and bad life choices. Why didn't you say something sooner?" She complained, making her way quickly towards the door. Dani couldn't contain her eye roll when Peter called out to her.

"I figured you were fully entranced by how man pretty I am, that you wouldn't care one way or the other!"

Dani whispered to herself as she headed to her room, slightly annoyed. "What a conceited dick."

However, a small smirk enveloped her face. "Still, he makes a valid point."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The days ticked by and Dani had begun to feel restless being cooped up in the Milano. Her excitement for their voyage had been dampened after having a lengthy discussion with everyone on her second day. Turns out the universe was truly a lot bigger that she had anticipated. Alpha Bova was nearly a two-week journey from Earth even with the help of interstellar jump points. She had to have that explained to her. According to Peter, their bodies could only safely withstand fifty jumps a day.

Dani had thoroughly enjoyed the pit stop on Grallenx. The stop consisted mainly to refuel and purchase supplies for their journey, not to mention, switch out the cash Dani had brought for units. While there, Drax and Peter had led her through the outpost's local marketplace, which was awe inspiring and incredible, she had to keep herself in check not to run around like a child from display to display. She was, however, embarrassed only because she had to keep bothering Peter on what food would be acceptable to eat for humans, to assist with language translations, etc. He had also insisted that she purchased a new jacket and coat, the only things she had forgotten to pack for the trip. Peter told her that some planets had basically, winter mornings and warm summer evenings and that she needed to be prepared. They didn't know where their search would take them.

She had really struck gold though at the last place they stopped before heading back to the Milano. After the previous night's discussions over drinks, Dani realized how adorably stuck in the 80s Peter still was. She made it her personal mission to get him caught up on some of what he had missed out on. Lo and behold, Dani ended up leaving the last store with her arms overflowing with DVDs of movies and television shows from Earth. Thankfully, Drax offered to carry the bulk of her purchases for her. Dani's jaw had dropped comically when the store attendant said that he was about to toss them all out, no one seemed interested in them.

That had been day two. It was now day six onboard the Milano and Dani was feeling every second of it.

She headed down one of the short corridors of the ship, stretching her arms behind her back as she shambled down the hall. Peter had said it was alright that she used the lower loading bay as a makeshift dance studio. Dancing kept her grounded and helped her from falling to pieces from the stress of the last few months, clearing her mind. The floor was level enough thankfully. She had her iPod and its stereo dock in a gym bag strapped around her shoulder, that was all she would need. Dani rounded a corner and nearly head butted Gamora.

"Crap, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." She apologized. Gamora raised her thin eyebrows at her.

"It's fine. I'll be the first to admit it, but I'm impressed. I honestly didn't hear you coming. You must be pretty light on your feet." She complimented Dani, physically pointing down to her feet.

Dani shrugged. "I've been in all sorts of dance classes since I was a kid. Maybe that's why."

Gamora nodded. "Maybe."

They fell into an awkward silence. Truthfully, Dani was intimidated by her, Gamora was her polar opposite. She was tough, quiet, a warrior assassin, knowledgeable about so many aspects of the universe just to name a few. Dani could already guess how she herself looked to Gamora. Pretty much a weak, helpless rich girl who didn't know the first thing about anything outside of her cushy life or how to defend herself.

Now though, Gamora appeared anxious.

"Well, see you later." Gamora said, moving past Dani. She took a few steps before turning back to Dani, her face conveying a sense of tenseness.

"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask you for your assistance on, if it's not too much trouble."

Dani nodded, urging her on.

"It's pretty stupid and I'll understand if you say no. It's just that I have no one else to ask for help on this matter and I figured that you might not mind being…what you are and all…" She was rambling at this point.

"Gamora, it's fine. Just tell me."

"Would you teach me how to dance?"

Dani raised her eyebrows. Whatever she had been expecting, that was definitely not it.

"To dance? What style did you have in mind?"

It was Gamora's turn to openly gape at her.

"You don't mind?"

Dani fixed her with a soft smile. "Of course, I don't mind. Dancing does wonders for the body and soul. It's not something you should be ashamed of."

Her words brought a small, hesitant smile to Gamora's face. "When would be OK with you?"

Dani shrugged again. "No time like the present. I'm heading down now. You might want to change into something stretchier. Leather is not good for dancing." Dani joked as she pointed at Gamora's outfit.

The anxious look returned as Gamora looked down at herself. "Like what? I don't have a lot to choose from."

"I'll let you borrow something of mine. You are a little slimmer than me but that's why man created drawstrings on sweatpants."

Gamora's brow line creased. "What are sweatpants?"

Dani laughed, leading Gamora to her cabin. "Oh, just you wait and see. I'll have you in couch potato sweats in no time."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The last notes of Michael Jackson's 'The Way You Make Me Feel' drifted away as Dani shut off her stereo dock, wiping sweat off her neck with a towel. She kept her session with Gamora simple and not long, not wanting to overwhelm her. Dani internally pushed down the small pangs of envy at how quick Gamora had picked up the moves she showed her. Dani had stuck with some basic contemporary styles. She knew it was petty, feeling this way but she worked herself dog tired for years to reach the level she was at now.

"You did very well today, Gamora, it's my turn to be impressed. I wish my students were half as quick as you are with picking up what I showed you." She complimented her. Gamora gave Dani one of her rare genuine smiles, pulling the hair band out of her hair to air it out.

"Thanks, I'm sure you are just being nice, but I do appreciate your praise."

Dani shook her head. "I mean it. As I said before we started, being that you are extensively trained in combat, I figured you'd be a quick learner. It's all about fluid movement, allowing your body to move to the music."

Dani glanced over at her curiously.

"I was wondering, well, if its too personal, you don't need to tell me but why are you suddenly interested in learning?"

Gamora's movements paused, staring at the small towel in her own hands. Suddenly feeling incredibly intrusive, Dani busied herself with gathering up her iPod and dock, putting them into the gym bag. The other woman's body language and silence were speaking volumes, causing her to feel uncomfortable. She moved to the doorway.

"Promise you won't laugh or think me silly?" Gamora asked, startling Dani who had assumed that she wasn't comfortable enough with her to answer.

"I would never laugh at someone's aspirations for wanting to dance." She promised, turning back to her. Gamora hesitated, still fiddling with the towel, contemplating the words she had never said out loud before. She knew, somehow deep down, that Dani meant what she said.

"I want to do this for Quill. He's always dancing around to his music, not caring how foolish he looks at times and well, part of me wants to look foolish with him. For him." She finally confessed, she glanced up to gage Dani's reaction, hoping that the human girl wasn't going to laugh at her.

An expression flitted briefly across Dani's face, something that Gamora couldn't place. The blonde cleared her throat.

"There's nothing wrong with that. Don't be ashamed to cut loose occasionally. You're always so tense and serious." Dani replied. They both moved out into the hallway, heading to their own rooms.

Dani walked in silence with her, lost in her own thoughts. There was an odd feeling of jealousy and resentment bubbling in her stomach at Gamora's confession. She pushed it down, not wanting to read into it.

"So, are you and Peter an item or something?" Dani inquired nonchalantly, curiosity eating away at her mind.

Gamora's brows furrowed in obvious confusion. "What do you mean by 'an item'?"

"It's an Earth expression. Like, are you two dating? In a relationship?"

Gamora visibly chewed on her bottom lip as they walked.

"No, not exactly. I feel there's something there between us. I mean, yes, he can be such a smug, irritating jerk. Yet, under all that attitude, he is caring, fun loving and though he would never admit it, cares about the safety and well being for others more than himself. I've seen it firsthand."

Dani felt ashamed at how emotionally bristled she felt at Gamora. She tried to rationalize her own feelings away when it came to Peter, but it was becoming increasingly harder as time went on, as she spent more time with him, catching up. He was cocky at times, but she had seen his kindheartedness firsthand as well.

Her mind drifted back to an old childhood memory. Peter had been eight and she was seven. Dani had been cornered in a hallway at school by a couple of older boys who were teasing her, calling her a stupid rich girl. That she had probably never even met her own parents and that Dani was being raised by a team of nannies and servants. She had begun to cry as she yelled at them to leave her alone. Peter overheard the commotion, quickly coming to her defense. He told them to leave her alone. In return for his chivalrous act, the boys cackled and called Dani his little girlfriend along with insults about Peter not having a father. Without a second thought, Dani charged forward, smacking one boy in the head with her schoolbooks. He shoved her back roughly into a locker, startling her more than anything. Peter launched himself at the bully, his fists flying, connecting wildly with anything he encountered. He had been quickly beaten down by the three older boys, earning himself a couple bruises, a black eye and a busted lip. Thankfully a passing teacher broke it up before it got much more out of hand. Peter had received detention for two weeks and one helluva chew out from Meredith, which quickly simmered down when he explained what had led up to the fight. His grounding went from a month to two days astonishingly fast.

She also recalled fondly how he had snuck out that evening, sneakily riding his bike to Dani's house. They sat up in the treehouse in her backyard, watching the setting autumn sun. Dani playfully scolded him for getting himself in so much trouble all because she couldn't control her temper.

What he had done next solidified her love for her best friend.

Peter turned away from the sunset to look at her and said without any hesitation.

"Of course, I had to. You're my best friend, Sun Ray. I'm always going to protect you. You're worth a thousand black eyes."

Dani knew in that moment that Peter would always hold a special place in her heart. The memory warmed her from the inside out.

"Um, Dani?"

Gamora's voice crashed around her, pulling her back into the present.

"Yeah?"

Gamora signaled to the door they had stopped in front of. "Your room."

"Oh yeah, sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts." Dani mumbled, fumbling for the latch. Gamora keenly watched her, not making any remarks though.

"See ya."

"Thanks for today, really."

Dani merely smiled, nodding awkwardly before escaping to the solitude of her room. She leaned back heavily against the closed door, gathering her jumbled thoughts. She took a deep breath, releasing it shakily.

Her thoughts slid back into unfamiliar territory.

So, what if Gamora and Peter were attracted to each other? She seemed decent enough and he was just her childhood best friend. Dani told herself that she didn't care what or who Peter may or may not be doing. He was just a friend. Dani repeated this to herself over and over, almost like a chant.

"He's just a friend. You don't even know each other anymore. He's just a friend."

Yet, each time she said it to herself, it was with less and less conviction than the last until the words left a bad taste in her mouth. The taste of a lie.

"Aww, shit. What am I even thinking?" Dani groaned, sliding to the floor. She remained there a few moments, almost expecting an answer to just pop out from under the bed at her.

"I'm thinking of a much-needed shower."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

All that Dani could focus on as she made her way to the 'communal' shower was how badly she needed the hot water to burn away these unwanted thoughts from her mind. Turning the corner, she spotted Groot sitting on the step up in the hallway right outside of the shower room door. He had been avidly avoiding her since she booted him across the room on her first night there. Dani wanted to apologize but hadn't had the chance. Now was as good a time as any.

"Hey Groot." She called softly, not wanting to spook him as she took tentative steps toward him. His little wooden head snapped up, his brown eyes narrowing in distrust.

"I Am Groot." He snapped, standing up to obviously get away. Dani raised a hand up, hoping to halt him in his escape.

"I don't understand what you are saying but I do want to apologize for kicking you. I hope you can forgive me one day." She pleaded with him. Groot paused, throwing her a hard stare.

"I Am Groot." He said, walking away.

Dani didn't feel any better, not knowing what he said anyway. She damn near jumped out of her skin when she heard another voice speak up.

"He first said to go away. Then he said that he will try as long as you keep your feet to yourself." Peter translated, standing in the doorway to the bathroom, leaning against the frame with his shoulder as he towel dried his hair.

Dani turned to him, about to make a smart-ass remark on if that was a literal word for word translation. Her remark, however, died on her lips and her face flooded with what she was sure to be a deep, violent red. He was naked from the waist up and his pants weren't fully buttoned all the way up so the material sat low on his hips. He moved the towel, now drying a few stray water droplets off his neck and chest.

Dani's eyes followed the towel, trailing down his broad shoulders and chest, roaming over his well developed six pack abs. Her gaze stopped upon noticing Peter had the much-coveted abdominal V cut that women drooled over.

He threw the towel into the hamper in the corner. He reached up, gripping the door frame above his head with both hands, leaning towards her. Dani's stomach tightened as she wondered if he was purposely striking a pose, a very suggestive pose.

"He'll come around, don't worry about it." His voice came out like black velvet causing Dani's stomach to clench even tighter but in an oddly enjoyable nature. Her eyes flew up to meet his own, finding them intensely locked onto her face, giving her a lopsided grin. Her eyes betrayed her again, trailing down his chest quickly before looking away, focusing intently on the chipped white tile of the bathroom floor.

"Don't you own a shirt?" She grumbled, refusing to let herself look away from the floor. He chuckled softly.

"Why? Do I gross you out?"

Dani shot him a pointed stare.

"No, but not everyone might be comfortable with you meandering around half naked, you know."

"It shouldn't bother you. We've been naked together before." He quipped, thoroughly getting a kick out of winding Dani up.

"Stop being simple, Peter. We were pretty much toddlers. Our moms use to bathe us together. We've both seen the horrifying pictures. And what's with all the innuendoes lately?" She demanded, crossing her arms in front of her as if to shield herself.

Peter wasn't sure why he was making such advancements and comments to Dani the way he had been. He kept telling himself that it was just his flirty nature going on autopilot since Dani was a very attractive woman. He also kept telling himself that she was his oldest friend and that he needs to cut it out but the more time he spent with Dani, the harder it was becoming for him to do so. Peter had begun thinking about things that he never had before when it came to women. He would watch Dani when she wasn't aware of his gaze. He found himself enjoying the way she lightly pulled on the tips of her hair when she was nervous. How she hummed to his music since she couldn't carry a tune to save her life. Even how she crosses her legs and bounces her foot incessantly when she is bored, which originally annoyed the hell out of Peter, but it had become strangely amusing to him now.

So, yes, Peter wasn't sure when it had happened, but he craved being around her as much as he could. Not that he knew even where to begin to explain any of this to her.

"You just make it too easy to get a rise out of you. Not to mention, it is so damn cute when I can get you to blush." He retorted, reaching forward. His index finger lightly trailed down her redden cheek.

Dani's heart leapt into her throat when his finger was replaced with his hand, which was now cupping her cheek. She could feel her heart pounding hard in her chest. Her pulse raced faster as her lungs fought for precious air. Her eyes slid shut as Peter's thumb caressed her cheek. She inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in his unique scent. He smelled of a mixture of sandalwood and pine. He overtook her senses, causing her to become dizzy and slightly sway on her feet.

"So beautiful." Dani heard him whisper. Her eyes fluttered open at his words, surprised at how much Peter had moved closer towards her. He now stood less than a foot away. His hand slid towards her chin, his thumb gently rubbing the curve of her bottom lip, his dark, stormy green eyes intensely locked on her mouth. Dani's breath hitched in her throat at his ministrations. Her hand moved on its own, her palm pressing to his chest, over his heart. Feeling his heartbeat pounding hard against her hand.

"Peter…" She whispered, trailing off, not remembering what she was going to say. Dani felt as though her body was melting into a puddle under the heated intensity of Peter's gaze.

His hand tightened its hold on her chin as he leaned forward. Dani's mind screamed at her to pull away, that he was her friend and what she was feeling was so wrong, to run and not look back. Her mind, however, instantly fell silent as she felt his breath fan across her cheek, lighting a scorching fire deep from within her stomach and delicious chills shot up and down her spine. Dani leaned forward in anticipation. Their eyes slid shut. Her insides somersaulting when the lightest of pressure skimmed her lips….

"Hey Quill, we need you up here. We may have a bit of a problem."

Rocket's voice over the ship's PA system shattered the hazy fog that had enveloped Dani. She yelped in surprise, jumping back and smacking into the hallway wall.

"OW!" She groaned, knocking her wrist off a steel support beam. Peter shook his head, as though to jolt himself back to reality.

"Are you OK?" He inquired, worried that Dani may have hurt herself. She didn't trust her voice, so she just nodded and mumbled incoherently about needing a shower as she pushed past Peter, refusing to meet his eyes.

"Dani." Peter implored, attempting to grab her arm but she dodged his hand.

"You're needed in the cock pit." Dani stammered, all but slamming the door in Peter's confused face.  
Dani rushed forward, bracing herself on the damp sink.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She quietly berated herself.

(**What happened to keeping yourself in check?**)

She cursed, lifting her head as her eyes locked on the image of herself in the dirty mirror over the metal sink. Dani was becoming careless, there was too much at stake to allow herself to become distracted, not to mention the guilt that was flooding her system as she thought of Gamora's confession. And here she was, behaving like a horny schoolgirl. Dani focused on why she was even here.

That's where her problem was. Being around Peter caused her to forget her problems when she really needed to focus on finding Amelia and Terry. Everything would go back to normal when she had them back, everything would make sense again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	7. Right in The Feels

** Hey there, a few things I need to say before we get started. First, it was pointed out to me that the beginning part of this chapter resembles the sovereign chase scene in the first bit of GOTG2 but it fits in with what I have planned so please just bare with me here. Secondly, there is some suggestive sexual bits in this chapter so if that's not your thing, when it gets to that part, just skip down to the last six or seven sentnances or so. The story's not at the point of rating change yet. Next, there's a few songs that gave me inspiration for this chapter so if you want to maybe listen to them on certain parts, I've listed a guide to help out.

If you are enjoying this story, please leave a review. I have some lurkers and it would really make me feel better to get some. Thanks and enjoy.

Hall and Oates- Rich Girl- _Italic letters_

Elton John- Rocket Man- {Insert Rocketman}

Toto- Hold The Line #####

**Chapter Seven: Right in The Feels**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, what's this I hear about a problem?" Dani inquired as she ascended the stairs into the cockpit, deciding to investigate said issue before showering. Her steps slowed upon noticing the serious expressions on the crews' faces.

Gamora glanced over at her. She was strapped into her seat, pressing buttons frantically, that were lit up on her touch screens in front of her.

"Strap yourself in. We have trouble and not the fun kind." Her dark hair flipped over her shoulder as she nodded to the vacant seat beside her, situated behind Rocket. Hearing the edginess in her voice, Dani threw herself into the seat. No sooner had she buckled in, the ship rocked violently to the right, an ear-splitting metallic tearing sound echoing through the hull.

"What the hell?!" Dani shrieked, caught off guard by the turbulence, rubbing her shoulder tenderly from being jarred abruptly by the impact.

"Kree coming up on our Eight fast." Rocket yelled from his seat, pressing buttons on his own little screens. Dani glanced around the cockpit to each of its occupants, waiting for some clarification. Peter was focused intently on the night sky in front of him, engaging the controls. The Milano shot forward in a blast of speed that made her jaw rattle and ears ache, slamming her back into her seat. She saw Groot running out of the corner of her eye, leaping up into Drax's lap who was seated on the other side of Gamora.

"Uh, hello? What are Kree? Not everyone here is caught up to speed." She called out, not appreciating that no one was bothering to fill her in on what was happening. Gamora turned, her mouth opening but didn't get the chance to say anything. Another blast to the back end of the ship threw everyone around in their seats, the force reminding Dani of being on a rollercoaster. A loud scream of terror ripped out of her, grating her own ears as she white knuckle clutched her safety straps. Rocket flinched at the scream, appearing to be aggravated by it. He turned around in his seat, shooting a dirty look over his shoulder.

"We had a tussle with one of their crazies not long ago so, needless to say, they're not our biggest fans." He hollered back.

Another blast pulled a second shriek from Dani, who lowered her head, clenching her eyes shut in fear. Rocket shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Don't worry, Blondie. I have something that will calm you down." He snickered, pressing his touch screen, laughing even more to himself.

Dani's ire skyrocketed upon hearing the Hall and Oates song filling the cockpit.

_You're a rich girl and you've gone too far_

'_Cause you know it don't matter anyway_

_You can rely on the old man's money…._

Peter shot Rocket a venomous glare. He tried to press some keys to shut it off, but Rocket was quicker, locking him out of the PA system.

"Seriously?! Shut it off, dude!" Peter yelled angrily, focusing his attention back to flying, dodging blasts from the ship behind them. Rocket's laughter escalated which turned into full blown hysterics.

"C'mon man. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for a chance to play this for Princess back there." He sniggered.

"Go to Hell, Jackass!" Dani hollered, her vision blurring red with anger.

"Well that got dark fast. No one can take a joke around here." Rocket remarked.

"Why are you being such an asshole?" Gamora chimed in.

"She kicked Groot! How am I the asshole?" He snapped, pointing at the blonde behind him.

The Hall and Oates song still blared through the cockpit, making the moment even more ridiculous.

"Is this seriously the best moment for this?" Peter yelled out. Another hit knocked them forward.

"Gamora! I need a jump point! We can't take many more hits like that." Peter called back.

She went to work on her screens. "25 clicks away, straight ahead!"

The ship rocked hard again, this time throwing them to the left. The air around them sucked roughly backwards. Dani's hair stung her face as it was whipped madly around in a swirling vortex. A loud cry caught her attention as red lights strobed and a loud alarm buzzed incessantly.

The escaping air caused a strong suction of pressure that pulled Groot from Drax's lap and he was now clinging desperately to a metal grate in the floor. Drax reached behind him, trying to snatch him off the floor but he was out of arm's reach. There must have been a massive puncture in the ship's hull.

Realizing what was happening, Rocket called out. "Groot!"

Running on pure instinct, Dani ripped off her safety straps and dived behind Gamora's chair. The suction yanked her back violently. She snatched Groot up as she was roughly pulled towards the back of the cockpit. Her midsection abruptly banged into a metal support beam, damn near knocking the wind our of her lungs. She wrapped herself around the beam, clinging to the structure for dear life with Groot in her hand. Dani glanced over her shoulder and wished that she hadn't. There was a jagged, gaping hole about the size of a softball approximately twenty feet behind her.

"Peter!" She screamed out over the shrill whistling of the pressure loss, feeling her fingers losing grip on the beam. Peter looked back at her seat, not seeing her. His gaze widened in horror upon spotting her hanging onto the beam and to the hole behind her.

"Hang on Dani!"

He swiped at his screen, a yellow force field slamming down over the hole. The cabin pressure finally stabilized. She gasped deeply, inhaling large breaths now that she could breathe properly even though she wasn't able to force herself to relinquish the beam yet. The struggling in her right hand reminded her as to why she was in this predicament to begin with. Groot was squirming, trying to escape from her iron tight grip.

"Crap, I'm sorry." She said sheepishly, realizing that she was squishing him. Groot stared up at her with his big brown eyes wide.

"I Am Groot." He said, climbing up her shoulder, wrapping his little stick arms half around her neck in an apparent attempt at a hug. Dani's heart squeezed at the affectionate gesture. She patted his back with her fingers, not needing a translation for what he had just said.

"5 clicks to the jump!" Gamora called.

Now able to move, Dani stood, Groot in hand, gingerly making her way back to her seat. She tried to hold in her gasp of pain when her safety straps tightened over her chest, but she failed miserably. She prayed that she didn't have any broken ribs. Groot climbed up her shoulder and burrowed into the crook of her neck, reminding her of an overly affectionate cat Dani had when she was a kid. She reached up, using her fingers to pat his back again.

"I got you, little man."

"1 click! Brace yourselves!"

Dani gripped her straps with her left hand while her right held Groot firmly in place. She barely had time to make out the jump point before they flew through it. Peter expertly push the controls to the side after they cleared the jump and moved them to the side of it. He set the Milano into hover mode, staring forward intently, waiting.

"What are we doing?" Dani broke the silence, not sure what was happening.

"Ensuring that they aren't following us through the jump." He replied, not tearing his eyes away from the dark sky in front of them. A few moments passed, feeling more like an hour.

Gamora spoke up. "They're not going to follow us. They lost the element of surprise and they would be stupid if they were thinking that we aren't lying in wait."

Peter unfastened his straps, turning to Rocket.

"I'm going to access the damage to the ship. You got this?" He asked. Rocket nodded, not looking at him.

"Yeah, I got it."

Peter took a step away, his eyes landing on Dani. He paused.

"Oh, by the way, 'Princess' almost got sucked out the back of the ship, not to mention, risked being shredded into confetti to save Groot. I think you need to re-evaluate your attitude towards her and stop being such a dick." Peter implied in a low, steady voice. The cockpit went utterly silent and tension was thick in the air. He moved away from Rocket; his jaw clenched. As everyone worked at unfastening their safety straps, Peter paused in front of Dani.

"You ok? That was a close call."

She nodded as she unfastened herself. Her arm awkwardly brushed her injured side, eliciting a low hiss of pain from Dani, her whole-body stiffening. She attempted to play it off as nothing, but Peter had seen it. He threw an arm out, successfully keeping her in place.

"I'm fine, Peter." She reiterated, still trying to wiggle out of the seat.

"I'll be the judge of that. That was one helluva flinch of pain." He observed as he squatted down in front of her, his knees bumping her calves. He gripped the hem of her shirt, his eyes focusing on her own, wordlessly asking for permission. Dani simply shrugged in defeat, knowing that she didn't have a choice in the matter. Peter lifted her shirt up on her left side, right up to below her bra line. His other hand carefully examined the skin of her side. Dani forced herself to not think about how warm his rough hand was on her skin or how close he was leaning towards her.

Dani's thoughts lingered back on to their 'almost kiss' that nearly happened less than an hour ago. Her eyes flew to his lips, her heart melting at the expression on his handsome face. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration and he was lightly chewing on his bottom lip as he poked carefully at her side. Peter's fingertips breezed over her ribs, causing Dani to snort in a very unladylike manner. She squirmed under his touch. He chuckled in amusement.

"Still ticklish I see." He bantered playfully, that signature smirk of his gracing his lips. He glanced up, locking his playful gaze with her. Heart now hammering away, Dani cleared her throat, focusing on anything else.

"Don't act as if you aren't." She retorted, smirking herself. Peter's gaze lingered on her then returned to her side.

"Nothing's cracked, there's only gonna be light bruising. You'll need to lay off dancing for a few days though to be safe. It'll hurt too much to do so, anyways." He stated, lowering her shirt. Dani had figured as much.

"Whatever you say, Dr. Quill."

Peter's face lit up into a full-on lewd smile.

"Are we playing 'Doctor' again? I'm pretty sure it has a much more mature context at our age." Peter replied, feeling pleased with himself when Dani's face flushed rapidly, her eyes widening.

"Oh my god, you really went there. Once again, we were kids. Kids do weird shit, Peter." Her eyes moved away from his, desperate to look anywhere else. Her stomach knotted up painfully when she caught Gamora watching their exchange, suspicion etched into her features. All the red drained from Dani's face, she didn't realize that Gamora was still sitting right next to her. She clambered out of her chair, ignoring the ache in her side. She needed to distance herself from Peter ASAP. Bolting for the staircase, she was halted by Peter's strong hand latching onto her wrist.

"Dani, wait, I think we need to talk."

She stared down at his hand, unable to look up into his face.

More like not trusting herself if she was to be honest.

"Later, I still haven't gotten that shower yet."

Peter nodded, releasing her wrist. Dani was halfway down the steps when she heard his voice.

"Gamora, what on Earth are you wearing?"

Dani snickered quietly. She must've still been wearing the sweats that Dani had loaned to her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm still confused. How could you possibly love someone like him? The things he has done are unforgivable." Drax questioned Dani, leaning back against his seat on the sofa, stunned. Dani sighed, rubbing her temple. She wasn't sure how else to break this to the man sitting next to her.

"Because he has a soul and he may put up a brooding, tough as nails exterior but deep down, he's lonely. He is trying to balance the weight of his existence. He wants to be a better man." Dani explained, popping some more popcorn into her mouth. She had begun to think that Drax was just too literal of a person to understand the complex nature of the situation.

"So, you expect me to believe that even though he tried to destroy the world last season by raising Hell on Earth, that you still want to see Angel and Buffy back together again? He nearly slaughtered half of Sunnydale, not to mention, he killed her mentor's girlfriend. How do you come back from that?" He remarked, exasperated as he waved his hand dramatically towards the monitor they were watching. Dani had introduced him to the world of Buffy about a week ago and the large man was now addicted. She had bought the full series box set from the clerk during their pit stop. He was currently about halfway through season three and she was pretty sure he hadn't slept in a few days.

"We went over this. He had his restored to him when he returned from Hell. He's not Angelus anymore. He goes on to fight demonic crime in L.A. later."

"Hey, Spoilers! Man, you Earthers…" He trailed off, turning his attention back to the current drama unfolding in the show. Dani hid her wide smile behind her hand as she chuckled lightly. She was impressed at how fast he was picking up her lingo even though he misused certain phrases at times. Yesterday, Gamora had jumped on him about improperly sorting their supplies in the lower hanger. He said to her word for word

'Stop being a stick in the butt'.

Dani nearly lost cool when he butchered two totally different says. She snuggled deeper into the couch.

About an episode later, Peter entered the lounge area, his eyes trailing to the monitor.

"Still binge watching T.V., Drax? Which is this, Buffy or Dawson's Creek?" He questioned as he perched up onto the arm of the sofa right next to Dani, whose internal system went on high alert ever since he walked in. Needless to say, they hadn't 'talked' yet.

Peter reached down, snagging a handful of popcorn out of the container. Peter's palm brushed her knee and lower thigh in the process. Dani shot him a dirty look, knowing full well that he did that on purpose. He merely gave her a wink as he popped a kernel into his mouth, drawing her gaze briefly to his lips. She felt herself warm as her mind strayed for what had to be the millionth time to their 'almost kiss' a few days ago. Dani realized in horror that she was straight up staring at his mouth still. She jerked her head back to the monitor, not missing the knowing look on Peter's face.

"This is Buffy. Dawson's Creek was boring, just a bunch of angsty teenagers." Drax replied, not tearing his eyes from the screen.

"This slayer just had her strength drained from her and now she has to battle a vampire completely powerless. This is where she surely meets her demise." He added. Dani glanced over at him, blown away.

"Drax, she is obviously going to win. There's over three more seasons left."

Drax sighed obnoxiously, looking up to the ceiling before turning his unamused gaze to her.

"Spoilers, dude. If you are going to keep ruining this tale for me, I think you should leave the room."

Peter's eyebrows shot up and he nodded in agreement. "I agree with Drax. Besides, there's something I need to discuss with Dani."

"Thank you Quill. This would please me greatly." Drax replied smiling, turning back to the show. Dani's stomach rolled painfully; she had been dreading this.

"You heard him, Dani, let's leave him to his show." Peter said. Dani glared at the side of Drax's head.

"Thanks, Drax. Oh, by the way, Angel leaves the show for good this season." She snapped in a petty manner at getting back at him. She stood, leaving the room, hearing Drax groan loudly behind her.

Dani followed Peter's lead hesitantly, feeling unsure of what was about to happen. He side glanced over at her, releasing a small sigh of annoyance. Peter reached over and grabbed her hand up in his.

"Stop acting as though you're on your way to the gallows. There's something I want you to see. You'll be thanking me later."

Her curiosity got the best of her, slightly intrigued. "What is it?"

Peter glanced at her, giving her a pointed stare.

"It's not a surprise if I tell you, now is it?" He said rhetorically as they passed through their 'dining area'. The two ascended the stairs up into the cockpit. Dani glanced around noting the lack of anyone else in there. Peter noticed her staring at the empty pilot seats.

"Autopilot. Welcome to the future, Miss Patrick." Dani rolled her eyes at him.

"Ha ha. We have autopilot on Earth, dork.' She snipped. 'What did you want to show me?"

A huge smile lit up his face.

"Do you trust me?"

Dani laughed low, shaking her head then looked back up to Peter.

"You've been missing from my life for over two decades. I willingly boarded your space vessel, left my home behind to fly halfway across the universe with people I don't know and you're asking me if I can trust you?"

"So, is that a yes?"

"Of course, it's a yes, Short Bus."

"Close your eyes."

Dani studied his face momentarily before sliding her eyelids shut. She felt him take both her hands, leading her forward at a slow pace. Moving gingerly due to her lack of sight, she released a shaky laugh.

"You better not be up to no good." Dani warned, hearing his deep chuckle reach her ears.

"Is there really any other way to live? Stop here, keep 'em closed til I say." He released her hands as she felt him move to her right side. The anticipation was driving her batty.

"Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Hang on, I'm still getting naked."

"Peter." She said his name in a firm voice, pulling another chuckle from him.

"I'm kidding.' Peter wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a small squeeze. 'Now, you can."

{Insert Rocketman}

Slowly sliding her eyes open, Dani gasped audibly, her left hand grabbing up some of Peter's shirt to steady herself as Peter smiled to himself, knowing already that he had done good.

"I figured you would want to see this. Completely blew my mind the first time I seen one."

Dani's eyes widened as she took in the sight outside the glass windshield. Way off in the distance, there was an explosion of color as far as the eye could see. Bursts of pink, purple, blue and green clouds merged together in a fusion of light that left Dani in awe. Never in her life has she seen something as magnificent.

"What is it?" She whispered, afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the convergence would disappear, popping like a soap bubble into nothing. Her feet moved closer as she pressed her hands to the glass. Her movements reminded Peter of a little kid at the zoo, seeing a lion behind the glass for the first time.

"It's the left-over remnants of a supernova. It's when a star cannot support its own mass anymore. The core implodes, shooting out all this rock and minerals and what have you." Peter explained, moving up next to her. Dani remained silent, processing the information of the now dead star. As sad as it was, the spectacle was truly breathtaking.

"Can we get closer?" She asked excitedly, spinning her head to look up at him. Peter found himself smiling at her enthusiasm.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Unless you want to risk being torn apart by a meteor storm."

Dani nodded, understanding how bad that would be.

"Still, Wow! It's remarkable. Thank you, Peter. For everything." She said gently, reaching over and taking his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. Dani relaxed her hand to release his, but Peter held on, shifting his body away from the glass and turned towards her.

"Dani." The hard edge in his tone pulled her focus away from the supernova, her bright green eyes locking with his dark green ones.

"Yes?"

"We need to talk. About what occurred the other day before we were attacked."

Dani gulped; her stomach was now doing somersaults. She still didn't have a good grip on what 'that' had been about. Yes, she would be a liar if she denied the fact that she was becoming attracted to Peter, but it was oh so complicated. Not knowing how to handle the issue, Dani did the first thing that popped into her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She said, dismissively, snapping her head back to look out the glass.

"Don't play dumb with me, Dani, it doesn't suit you." He chided, becoming annoyed at being brushed off so callously.

"We almost kissed." He added as a matter of fact.

Dani stayed silent; her jaw clenching was the only indicator of the turmoil raging inside of her. It became clear to Peter that he would have to take the initiative.

"I wanted to kiss you. I still want to, and I can tell you wanted to as well." Peter added, watching his words wreak havoc of the cool façade she was trying to convey but she wasn't fooling him. He could see it in Dani's eyes, in her body language, even the way she spoke to him that she felt something non platonic towards him. Peter wished that she would just stop pretending.

"Say something."

Dani briefly closed her eyes, steadying her warring emotions. "What am I supposed to say?"

"How about what you feel for starters? I don't know why you're acting so nonchalant. What I do know is that there's something there between us and I'm, for one, not scared. I want to pursue this and see what this is exactly." He confessed, trying to get Dani to look at him.

She couldn't, she wasn't sure what she may do if she met his gaze right now. She did, however, let out a deep sigh.

"Peter…." She stammered, not sure what to say.

"I'm attracted to you, Dani. From that first night over whiskey and cokes in your parents' kitchen, I've been finding myself more and more taken in by you. You're funny, caring, smart and not to mention, amazingly beautiful. Everything about you is and I'm talking about more than just your outer appearance." Peter's words were cracking at Dani's resolve like a sledgehammer.

How could he not see the problem with all of this, no matter how they felt?

"Why won't you just let me in?"

Something inside of her finally cracked, unable to stay quiet any longer. She whipped around to face him, her eyes glistening.

"And just how am I supposed to do that, huh? Where could this possibly lead, Peter? We lead two totally different lives. You are a part of the stars, chasing adventure, living a life I barely understand and I'm just Dani. I don't have an exciting or dangerous life. I still live in my parents' home, on Earth, in the same town I grew up in. We're light years apart." Her voice became raspy with emotion.

"What's the point in admitting that when I wake up, I look forward to seeing your stupid, handsome, smug face? Or that your corny jokes make me laugh harder than I have in ages or that your lewd innuendoes cause my heart to race?"

Dani paused, taking another deep breath. She finally looked up at Peter, her pulse racing from the intensity burning in Peter's eyes from her words.

"Please tell me how admitting that I can barely breathe when you're near me could ever help 'us' figure any of this out. We would never work, Peter, so let's not fool ourselves."

Having confessed all the feelings she had been bottling up inside for him left Dani feeling foolish. She turned her head away, fixating her gaze on a nearby wall as she wrapped her arms around her to hold herself together. Dani had never, ever made herself that vulnerable to any man, the chance of getting hurt was too great. Not to mention that she had never felt this intense about anyone, so she didn't know how to handle any of this.

#####

(**Dammit! That came out way too needy.**)

She had to get away.

"My god, just forget I said anything." Dani mumbled, turning to high tail it out of there, her cheeks and ears burning from utter embarrassment. Peter ran forward, grabbing her should to stop her from retreating. He moved in front of her to block her exit.

"Peter, I…."

He wrapped an arm around her lower back and cupped the back of her head with his other hand, pulling her flush against his firm body. Peter wasted no time leaning forward, pressing his lips to hers in an unexpected kiss. Dani's eyes widened at the sudden gesture, being caught off guard. Her brain screamed at her to pull away, to get away, that nothing good would come from just giving in. His warm mouth on hers and the feeling of being in his embrace quickly silenced that screaming voice. This just felt so right in her heart.

Dani slid her eyes closed and wrapped her arms tightly around Peter's waist, squeezing him closer to her. Feeling her relax in his embrace, Peter deepened the kiss, drowning out everything that wasn't Dani. She felt so right in his arms, her softer and smaller body molding perfectly with his. With his pulse racing and that odd fluttering in his stomach returning tenfold, Peter tightened his hold on the back of her neck and kissed her harder.

Needing air, Dani nearly had to push at him, both gasping as they pulled back. Recovering first and worried that she may run, Peter's mouth moved to her neck, kissing along her throat, her jaw then moving to the sensitive spot below Dani's ear. He gently dragged his teeth over the spot, eliciting a shuddering gasp from Dani that drove Peter crazy. He inhaled deeply, she smelled so good, jasmine and lavender evading his senses.

"Peter…please…this won't…work." She mumbled breathily against his ear, her brain fighting to regain control in a losing battle. The beard stubble on his jaw scraped along her neck, lighting a deep, smoldering fire in her stomach. Dani gasped again from the foreign sensation, her warring mind going quiet once more. She ran her fingers through Peter's hair, pulling his face back to hers so she could kiss him passionately. He groaned at the feeling of her fingers running along his scalp.

Running on instinct, Peter locked his arms around Dani's waist, hoisting her up. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his midsection. He sat her down on a nearby counter, knocking all the junk on it to the floor in the process. Now seated, Dani kept her legs around his waist though her hands travelled downward, feeling his muscular chest through his long sleeve shirt. His hands gripped her hips tight then moved around her back. Peter slipped them under her tee shirt, wanting to feel the warm soft skin under his fingers. Moaning at the feeling of his hands, Dani's hands slid under his shirt, her palms rubbing the hard muscles of Peter's abs. Electric jolts Dani never felt before buzzed through her body at feeling his firm skin under her hands.

Breaking their kiss, Peter pulled back and yanked his shirt over his head then captured her lips again. She snaked her arms around his lower back, pulling him close again as her hands travelled up his bare back, gripping his shoulder blades. Peter continued kissing her passionately, pulling his head back enough to nip at her bottom lip. She gasped again in that way that messed with his head, causing him to push his luck. Peter ran his hands down Dani's back, gripping her backside firmly as he grinded his body against hers.

Loud alarms went off in Dani's head, completely bitch slapping her out of the lust induced grope fest she allowed herself to get into.

"Peter, seriously, stop." She said firmly, pushing him back by the shoulders. Still revved up, Peter pulled back, panting, his hands still death gripping Dani's butt.

"What is it?"

She forcibly kept her eyes locked on his face, not trusting herself to risk seeing his amazing body pressed into her.

"We can't, this need to stop. I meant what I said. I'm sorry I let this happen." She said, remorse coursing through her. Dani really, really didn't want to stop but she knew she was right. There was no way they could ever work, and she didn't want to face the possibility of a broken heart.

Anger and confusion overtook Peter's face.

"What about all the things you said? I know you care about me. Why are you fighting this?" He demanded, some of the anger fading away to be replaced by wounded pride. Dani looked away, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

"I did mean them, but it doesn't matter what we feel. Long distance relationships never work and ours would be about as long as it can get." She slid off the counter, making a beeline for the hallway.

"I'm so sorry, Peter." She cried out over her shoulder, leaving a half-naked Peter standing alone, hurt and confused as all hell.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**I'm truly sorry if the people who are on alert for this story got multiple emails. It's super later and I noticed some mistakes so I had to change it a few times. please don't kill me


	8. Making A Deal With The Devil

**Hello there, I am not dead, lol. I truly am sorry it took three weeks to get this chapter out. Between pulling OT at work, family issues and a sick kitty at home, it's been busy busy. Hopefully this extra long chapter makes up for it. There's a few new OCs being introduced so look for their actors' inspiration names to follow this and there's a song I have listed in this story to set the mood for a certain part. If you are enjoying this story and/or see some improvements that need made, please drop me a review and voice your opinions. Also, WARNING, fight scene violence is in this chapter, nothing too bad but wanted to put that out there. Enjoy.

New OCs:

Alexander Turos- Pilou Asbaek (Euron Greyjoy from Game of Thrones)

Man *his name is Gavin but I haven't listed that in the chapter- Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy also Game of Thrones)

Song Insert:

Jim Croce- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (Insert will be _**GOTG**_ when you see that in the text)

**Chapter Eight: Making A Deal With The Devil**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani buttoned up her turquoise leather jacket tightly. The weather on Alpha Bova tended to be rather chilly this time of year according to Drax. She found that funny coming from a man who didn't seem to own a shirt but Gamora confirmed this.

Her hand ran over the taser gun strapped to her thigh, not feeling much reassurance by its metallic presence. Rocket gave her a speedy rundown on the general guidelines of the weapon. According to him, a toddler could operate the weapon. He hadn't said this to her in a condescending manner, so it felt like maybe, they were making some sort of progress to being civil.

Securing her knapsack on her person, she approached the back-bay door of the Milano, willing her nerves to remain steadfast. She felt someone move next to her. The scent of sandalwood and pine filled her senses; she didn't need to see who it was.

"Dani?"

She turned to Peter who was decked out in his signature long red leather coat, pulling on his black gloves as he spoke.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay onboard? We can handle this; it may get dicey." He asked coldly, giving her a hard glare. He was clearly still upset about what had happened between the two the previous night in the cockpit.

(**Can you really blame him?**) Her treacherous mind chimed in.

Rocket spoke up, interjecting his opinion on Peter's statement.

"I like that word 'may'. We're going to a slave salvagers' auction house, stirring shit up by messing with their assets and Quill uses the word 'may'? Talk about being optimistic." The raccoon snorted at the last part as he adjusted the massive shotgun looking weapon into a small canister on his tiny back. Peter clamped his eyes shut briefly and breathed in and out deeply then turned to Rocket.

"Then stay here, Rocket, if you are scared."

Rocket snorted derisively. "And miss all the fun? Yeah, right. I'd also like to ensure that our benefactor doesn't perish in an excruciatingly painful death. Let's be honest, Quill, you attract trouble." He remarked, matter of fact.

"Besides, if I stay here, whose gonna save your bacon out there? Like I always do."

"Enough bickering, we got a job to do." Gamora chastised, stepping up on to the platform next to Dani.

Dani gave Peter what she hoped was a reassuring smile which he didn't return, still eyeing her with a cold glint in his stare that pierced through her.

"I'll be fine. Don't be surprised if I run screaming back to the ship at the first sign of a fight though." She joked, trying to alleviate his sour mood. Guilt gnawed at Dani's insides whenever she saw the constant pained expression on Peter's face. This was all her fault, allowing herself to give into irrational hormones. Whenever she thought back on what had happened between them, particularly the amazingly passionate kiss they shared, her pulse raced, and her mouth went dry. If she was to be honest, that kiss haunted her thoughts and kept her up most of the night, tossing and turning in her bed.

Her comment did serve to crack his hard front, a small smile gracing his lips.

"Yeah right. With that temper of yours, we'll be yanking you off someone while pulling hair and strips of skin off you. You fight dirty, Patrick." He replied, shaking his head. Dani felt something tugging her pant leg, Groot climbed up her side like she was a freaking beanstalk, perching upon her shoulder.

"You going too, Little Guy?"

He gave her a resolved nod.

"I Am Groot." He said with a finality that brought a smile to her face, pointing onward.

"Groot! Language. He said, 'Hell yes'." Rocket translated.

"I Am Groot."

"I don't care. Just because you hear us say it doesn't mean you get to." Peter responded.

"I Am Groot."

"I know it's not fair but life's not fair. Let's go guys." Peter announced, pressing the button for the release hatch of the ramp. They moved through what reminded Dani a bit of an airport terminal. She forced herself not to stare at all the different species of alien beings they passed along the way. The group exited through a set of revolving glass doors into a bustling road. She didn't see any sort of transportation vehicles so she figured that everyone must walk to wherever their destinations were. The group passed all sorts of businesses, some she could place, others she couldn't. Dani paused outside the window of one brightly lit neon window, her attention caught by its contents. There was a gray skinned woman in a revealing, short hot pink leather dress, swaying to music that Dani couldn't hear. The woman paused, turning to Dani, her crimson red eyes dancing over her. She leaned forward, blowing a kiss at Dani with one hand while her other slid seductively up her own thigh, pulling the dress up higher.

(**What the hell?)**

A hand grasped her elbow, pulling her forward.

"C'mon, you don't want to go in there unless you're into antibiotics and burning when you pee." Peter said as he pulled her away to catch up with their group. The grey woman winked at her, wiggling her fingers in goodbye. Dani shuddered.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"You're not in Missouri anymore, Dani." He chuckled. Dani narrowed her eyes at him as they continued.

"Sounds as though you know an awful lot about these back-world brothels."

Peter's face went white as he swallowed thickly.

"Well, I grew up with Ravagers. They told me stories about those places." He stammered, quite unconvincingly.

"Mm-hmm. If you say so." Dani commented, letting it go. She was thoroughly enjoying the fact that she had Peter stuttering for once.

"We're here." Gamora announced, turning around to face them.

Dani listened as they formulated their strategy in which her only role was very small, not that she was complaining. The plan consisted of them speaking primarily to the 'Head of Acquisitions'. They needed to see their records for the past quarter, to see if Terry and Amelia had been here and to whom they were sold to. Their plan A was to bribe, enter Dani's pocketbook, and if that didn't work, well, this is where Peter said it might 'get dicey'.

"Y'all ready?" Peter asked, hand on the doorknob. Everyone confirmed, Dani nodded, not trusting her voice to squeak from anxiety. Peter turned the knob, pushing on the door. Nothing happened. The door didn't budge. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he pushed repeatedly, still not gaining access.

"What the? It's the middle of the business day. They most definitely should be open for business." He exclaimed, glancing around for a business hours sign. Gamora rolled her eyes dramatically as Rocket face palmed himself.

"Try pulling the door, numb nuts." The rocket said slowly as though talking to a child.

Peter shot him a sarcastic glare. "As if I'm that stupid, you walking fur coat."

Gamora huffed loudly, shouldering him out of the way, pulling the door wide open for Peter. He floundered; his mouth opening stunned as his face reddened.

"Well, that's just unprofessional. They should have a sign that says, 'Pull to Open'. That's just bad business right there." He stammered.

"There should be a sign. One saying, 'No Idiots Allowed'. Seriously, how did you survive childhood?" Rocket replied, stepping around him to enter the building first.

Peter went quiet as they all entered the building. Whatever Dani had been expecting, this really wasn't it. Her gaze took in the reception area, reminding her of a doctor's office waiting room, complete with chairs and end tables. She almost expected to see old magazines covering the tables.

Peter walked up to the receptionist; an older, pale man who appeared normal enough until he smiled at the group. He had razor sharp teeth and completely white eyes, only a small black cornea in the middle. He quickly jumped up out of his seat, coming around his desk towards them.

"Greetings to you dear sirs and ladies, on this most glorious of days. Welcome to Belham Avarth Industries. May I humbly offer yourselves something to drink, you must be parched." The White Eyed Man bowed so low; he almost was on the floor. Dani caught a glimpse of what looked like a dog's shock collar around his neck when he leaned down. Peter shook a hand at him.

"We're good…"

"I'll take a Blue Kalana if you're offering." Rocket piped in. Everyone turned and stared blankly at him.

"Dude, that drink is bought with blood money." Peter snapped.

Rocket shrugged. "He offered."

"He is obviously a slave, Rocket." Gamora growled.

They turned back to the man who was already busy at a nearby makeshift bar. Dani's heart went out to him. Her mind drifting to her family, wondering if they were having to endure the same life at this moment.

Or worse.

"No, sir, really, we're fine." Peter called, trying to stop him from finishing. The older man was nimbler than he originally appeared. He darted around Peter, offering the beverage to Rocket, who took it without any hesitation.

"Damn, that's good. You missed your true calling, whitey." Rocket said with enthusiasm. Peter shook his head in disgust before turning his attention back to the receptionist.

"My name is Rengell. How can I be of service to you today?" He offered them seats, running off to collect more chairs before they could speak up.

"We're fine standing. We request an audience with the Head of Acquisitions. Now." Gamora firmly stated. Rengell halted his chair gathering, pausing to stare at the lot suspiciously then anxiously.

"I..I..uh… Mr. Turos is a very busy individual. He cannot simply receive unscheduled visitors off the streets." He leaned over a ginormous book sitting on his desk, thumbing through its pages.

"Uh, let's see, he has a 10:00 available a month from next Tuesday…"

Peter cut him off. "See, that's not going to work. We have a very urgent matter that requires his attention and frankly, we're going to speak with him one way or another right now." Peter said in a low, dangerous voice, leaning forward towards the pale man, causing him to fall back onto his uncomfortable stool.

Nausea sloshed through Dani's stomach watching Peter intimidate the poor old man. He was obviously a scared slave, just doing the job his masters laid out for him. She steeled herself, mentally pulling up Terry and Amelia's faces to keep her tongue in check and to remind her that they were on a mission. She knew going into this that it wasn't going to be pleasant and easy.

Rengell's white eyes bounced around nervously between them.

"Well, I think his last appointment maybe about to leave. I could speak with him to see if I could squeeze you in, being that its an 'urgent matter'." He stuttered, pressing a button on his desk. A holographic screen lit up in front of him, beeping and flashing as it attempted to connect the call.

Dani silently marveled at the advanced technology, no matter how much she had seen lately, it still blew her mind.

"What is it, Rengell? I was finishing closing a deal." A man's face lit up the hologram, assumedly Mr. Turos. This man appeared to be completely human.

"I am terribly sorry for my insubordination, my lord, but there are some individuals here who say they need to speak with you on an urgent matter, Sire." Rengell reiterated their request, his raspy voice audibly quivering in fear.

"What's the nature of the matter?" Turos demanded. The slave's eyes bulged at the question. He had forgotten to inquire onto what their business entailed.

Peter moved around the table to speak with Turos directly. "We would prefer to share that with you in person, sir."

The man's gaze traveled over Peter, sizing him up critically. "And who are you?"

"My name is Peter Quill, but people call me Star Lord." Dani barely contained the snicker threatening to erupt out of her into a burst of unadulterated laughter. She knew Peter had coined himself that, but it was the first time she had ever heard him use his 'code name' that Meredith had graced him with when he was a boy.

Turos' eyebrows slowly raised at the mention of his name.

"Star Lord, you say? As in the Guardians of the Galaxy?"

Peter's face lit up in excitement at the recognition. "Yes, exactly."

"I heard about your involvement with Ronan the Accuser on Xandar. Quite the spectacle, I dare say.' Turos remarked. 'Rengell, I think I have a few moments to spare. I'd like to meet the infamous Guardians. Send them in."

Rengell bowed lowly once again to the hologram. "Yes, my lord. Right away."

The hologram flickered off.

"Right this way, sirs and ladies." Rengell moved away from the wooden desk, heading for a steel set of double doors that Dani hadn't noticed before. The doors pushed open leading the group down a spacious hallway. Looking up, Dani suppressed a gasp upon seeing the ceiling consisted of wonderous stained glass, swirls warping together in a vortex of color that she had never seen before.

"Your ceiling is magnificent." She slipped out, unable to stop herself. Rengell paused momentarily to look up as well, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

"It truly is breathtaking. It was crafted over three centuries ago by the greatest glassblowers in the galaxy and it only took four hundred slaves to install it, only forty three of them losing their lives in the process. Accidents do happen." He regaled, glancing back in front of him to lead the way.

Dani wasn't as appreciative of the masterpiece after hearing that piece of history.

Rengell halted in front of a large, intricately carved wooden door. He knocked gently a few times, awaiting permission to enter.

"Come in."

Stepping inside the massive room, Dani was struck by its appearance. The room reminded her of Dumbledore's office in the Harry Potter movies. The room was engulfed with tall bookcases lining the walls, leather bound books stacked neatly on the shelves in an almost obsessive nature. A metallic desk sat in the middle of the room, perfectly symmetrically placed.

The man at the desk stood, moving around it to greet them. He was average built with short brunette hair and a goatee. Dani instantly noted his bright blue eyes possessed a shifty nature to them, setting her at unease. His smile seemed to match his eyes, causing the same reaction for her as well. His attire was exactly what Dani had been expecting. He wore an opulent robe of the deepest purple. It was adorned with thick gold bands wrapping around his midsection, almost like a very obnoxious belt.

"So, this is the Guardians of the Galaxy! Saviors of Xandar! Your reputations precede you. My name is Alexander Turos, Master of Acquisitions here at Belham Avarth Industries. Now that you and yours know who I am, it would be courteous to return the gesture." His accent sounded familiar to Dani; he must've been from Earth.

Peter stepped forward, pointing to himself then to the rest in quick succession.

"I'm Peter Quill AKA Star Lord as for the rest of my crew, you don't need to know about them. I'm their captain and you'll be dealing with me directly, Mr. Turos." Peter responded rudely, causing Gamora's eyes to widen dramatically and Rocket to snort comically. Turos' left eye twitched at Peter's response, obviously offended by his attitude.

"I come to you with a proposition." Peter continued as if he hadn't been so disrespectful. Turos' eyes lit up in anger, glancing around at the rest of the crew. The fire in his blue depths completely simmered out as he caught sight of Gamora and Dani.

"I'll overlook your ignorance, just as long as I may have the honor of hearing the names of these two exquisite creatures." Turos waved a dismissive hand, stepping closer to the two women. It was Peter's turn to be angered.

"No, I said you don't…"

Gamora stepped forward, being diplomatic and throwing some serious stink eye at Peter.

"My name is Gamora. Please excuse Quill's behavior. He is a tad slow in the head." Gamora said as she lightly tapped her own temple. Peter's eyebrows furrowed as he went to protest.

"I am not… OWWW!"

Dani made an executive decision and slammed her foot down on Peter's, mouth two words to him.

"Shut up!"

She turned her attention back to Turos.

"I'm Daniella Patrick."

Turos raised his hand out in front of him. Assuming he wanted a handshake, Dani placed her hand in his, not seeing Gamora lightly shaking her head in protest behind his back. With speed that she hadn't been expecting, Turos wrapped her hand up in his and brought it up to his mouth, placing what he must've thought was a seductive kiss to her knuckles.

"Enchante, Mademoiselle Daniella. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman, ma chere." He cooed never breaking eye contact with her. Dani suppressed the urge to shudder.

"So, you're from Earth, then?" She questioned, stealthily wiping her hand on her pant leg.

"Yes, I am, a long time ago. I haven't been there in longer than I care to say. Montreal, Canada to be precise. And you, Daniella, where do you hail from?" He asked in a delicate tone that made her skin crawl. Dani pointedly stared at his face, trying desperately to ignore his eyes which were blatantly staring at her chest then moved even lower. She bit her inner cheek to remain focused.

"St. Charles, Missouri, USA to be precise as well. Which is what brings us to your establishment today, sir." She replied steadily. Turos studied her, as if she were a puzzle for him to solve. He motioned towards his desk, specifically the chairs in front of it.

"Please have a seat then. I find myself inexplicably interested in your story, Miss Patrick."

Gamora and Dani took the offered seats while Drax and Rocket, with Groot on his shoulder, opted to hang back by the door. Peter wordlessly declined the chair. He appeared to not want to distance himself physically from Dani and Gamora, his eyes burning with fury as they followed Turos' every move. He positioned himself next to Dani, half leaning, half sitting on the front of Turos' desk, his arms crossed in front of him. If Turos noticed this second round of rude behavior, he chose not to comment on it.

"So, please, tell me what brings you here." He said pleasantly, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands into his lap.

"One of your slaver crews made a snatch in Dani's hometown about three months ago. They took her brother and friend. We've come to negotiate their release." Gamora explained, getting straight to the point. Turos inhaled through his teeth, glancing down at his fingers as they now tapped the desk.

"Three months? Tsk, tsk. We almost never hold on to product that long. I'm sure its already been sold to the highest bidder weeks ago." He said, fake empathy dripping from his oily voice.

Something in Dani snapped at his words, shattering any restraint she was clinging to up until this moment. She leapt up, slamming her hands down hard on the desk.

"It's not 'product' that you are selling! It's people! Someone's mom or dad, their husband or maybe their aunt or brother! You talk about them as if they are cattle." She shoved a hand into her jacket pocket, extracting the picture of her brother and friend. She slammed it on the desk in front of him, jabbing her index finger into Turos' chest and then down to the picture.

"This is Terrence Patrick, my brother. The only family I have left. She is Amelia Mitchell, my best friend and like a sister to me. I'm not leaving here without knowing where they are." She uttered the last sentence dangerously before lowering herself back into her seat. She didn't know what to think of the slow smile creeping up the Slaver's face. He leaned forward in his chair, forming his hands in a steeple, placing his chin upon his fingertips. He stared intensely at the fiery blonde, his eyes flickering between her and Gamora.

"I'll tell you what. Normally, I'd already have my guards stringing you upside down above a bucket while I precisely cut out your vital organs for speaking to me in such a manner. You'd be surprised the market for such things." He said nonchalantly as thought they were discussing the weather. Dani visibly squirmed in her seat.

"That goes for you and your motormouth boyfriend who has the audacity to place his ass on my desk. However, I'm moved by your story. Well, that and your fiery spirit and the beauty of you and Miss Gamora, I'm feeling lenient. If they are alive, I can guarantee their release to your crew, but I require something in return." He bargained.

Dani leaned forward. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Name it." She really didn't like the wide smile on his face.

"I would like to keep you and Gamora for myself, for my own personal use. You two are quite a vision to behold, both exquisitely beautiful and utterly different. It's as though I'm witnessing a sunrise and a full moon at the same time."

Dani felt Gamora stiffen beside her. Peter stood up straight as though the desk shocked him, placing himself defensively between the two women.

"No, definitely not happening. You can keep that image for your spank bank only, perv." He replied vehemently.

Turos tsked again.

"That's a shame. I will make the promise that I wouldn't sell them. I could never do something so blasphemous. They would be mine only, as long as they don't object to 'playing together' that is."

Dani didn't need any explanation into what he had meant when he said, 'play together'.

"As indescribably hot as that would be, that's a hard no, pal." Peter answered.

Dani spoke up. "What about just me? Would we have a deal then?"

Peter's head snapped down to glare at her, his mouth falling open in stunned dismay.

"What?! NO!" Dani ignored his outburst.

"I'm afraid it's not quite the set I was hoping for. I can only guarantee the release of one of them. That's all I can offer. I'm already going to need to call in a lot of favors, threaten peoples' families, etc. just to make this work."

A thought occurred to her then. Digging into her knapsack, Dani procured a newspaper article from six years ago of a charity event that her family had sponsored. She kept that with her in case she needed some proof of her families' wealth on this mission as well as the picture with the article had a more recent picture of Terry. She slapped it on the desk next to the other picture.

"I can buy the other's freedom. On Earth, I'm the heiress to a multi-billion-dollar corporation. Please, I'll do whatever I can to free them. I'll do whatever you want." Dani pleaded, trying to reason with him, despite knowing what her words were entailing for her own wellbeing.

Turos held up the paper, skimming the news article. Another small smile crept over his face at what he read. He leant back in his seat, rubbing his stubbly jaw in contemplation.

"That might be feasible."

"Then we have a deal?"

"I believe we do, ma Cherie."

Peter snapped, yelling in unbridled fury. "No, we don't! What the hell happened to plan A?"

Dani stared straight ahead at Turos, accepting her fate, not able to look up at Peter's face.

"This still constitutes as Plan A. It's up to you now to take Terry and Amelia home, Peter." She replied, her voice cracking as she spoke the damning words. Peter stared down at her in disbelief, his heart cracking.

"I'm sorry, Dani but I can't let you do this."

Peter pulled his gun out of its holster, aiming directly for Turos' chest.

"Peter! NO!" She screamed, leaping up and shoving Peter's arm. His gun fired, blowing the side of the desk off. Leaning over the desk, Dani desperately searched for Turos. His arm shot up from underneath, slamming on a red button installed into the desk.

A loud alarm blared throughout the room around them. The door to the office bursts open, countless guards armed to the teeth piled into the room, weapons raised and aimed at them. Peter stepped in front of Dani, mentally counting how many guards were in the room.

"Why Peter? I had a chance to get them home." Dani sobbed, her voice cracking as she fought to keep her tears at bay.

She had been so close.

He half turned his head towards her, his hand reaching back to squeeze her own.

"I couldn't let you go, I won't. I know this is the part where you run away screaming but there's a records book on one of theses shelves. I briefly scanned them earlier. Find it." He whispered, turning back to stare at her briefly then turned his attention to the guards.

A cocky smile lit up his face.

"So, guys, I don't suppose we could talk this over, could we?"

A blast shot past his head, slamming into a bookcase behind Peter.

"Didn't think so."

_**GOTG**_

Everything seemed to slow. A whirling sound flew past Dani's head. The room lit up in a cascade of colors and more whirling zooms sounded. She only registered Peter's warmth leaving her as something shoved her down behind a chair. Time finally caught back up to her when she hit the floor, jarring Dani back into her current predicament. Scrambling up, she peered over the chair. Shots were flying wildly around the large office. She spotted Gamora first, fighting a guard in hand to hand combat, dodging the much larger man's strikes gracefully as though it was a dance routine.

She spotted Drax fighting as well, literally flinging his opponents around like rag dolls as he laughed boisterously. She couldn't find Rocket in the fray, praying that he had Groot with him. Her eyes searched for Peter, spotting him in a fire fight with a few guards. He was using what was left of the desk as cover. He jumped up to fire a few shots then ducked back down. A guard crept around the other side of the desk, making his way up Peter's blind spot.

Leaping into action, Dani pulled her gun out and fired at the man. Her shot whizzed inches past Peter's head, shooting the guard square in the chest as he crept up. Peter looked behind him in surprise before tracking the direction of the shot back to Dani. He nodded at her.

"Find the book!" He hollered, jumping out from behind the ruined desk.

Dani spun around, her eyes scanning the bookshelves and ran over to the nearest one. Her index finger traced along the spines of the books, each volume labelled with a year and broken up into three-month quarterlies. Moving along each bookcase as fast as her eyes could keep up, Dani paused at the fifth bookcase she checked, spotting a volume marked for that year. She reached up for the last book placed in that row, ripped it open and flipped through the pages. Her heart swelled when she read the last few entries that were marked as recently as the past few months.

"PETER! I found it!" She yelled triumphantly over the ensuing chaos still erupting within the room. No sooner were the words out of her mouth, a strong force tackled her to the floor, momentarily stunning her. Dani's vision swam from smacking her head off the floor in her descent, making it difficult for her to process what exactly had happened to her. All she could make out was a sea of purple on top of her.

(**Turos!**)

The slightly older man pinned her arms down to the floor on either side of her head, his body flush on top of her.

"Ma Cherie, you are quite exciting! I'm afraid though that our agreement is in turmoil. I can see that the Neanderthal they call Star Lord cannot or will not listen to reason. It saddens me that I'm forced to have the Guardians butchered, apart from Gamora and yourself, of course. Looks as thought I do get my set after all." He leaned down, sliding his nose along the exposed skin of Dani's neck. She gagged, fighting back the bile working its way up her throat as she struggled uselessly against him.

He smiled devilishly at her. "Oh, the fun the three of us will have."

Fury bubbled in her chest, threatening to consume her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, pushing Dani to act on a deep survivalist instinct. Pulling all the strength within her, even deep down in her bones, Dani yanked her left leg up, freeing it from underneath his own. Her thigh connected with his pelvic area hard, causing Turos to yelp and his body stiffening up in eyewatering pain, yet his grip didn't slacken enough for her to escape.

Desperate at this point to get away, Dani clamped her eyes shut and threw her head forward. A resounding crack echoed through her ears as her upper forehead connected with his face. Turos' grip instantly weakened and disappeared all together when he rolled off her. He cradled his face, his hand slippery with blood.

"You bitch! You broke my nose!" He hollered, curling into a ball, one hand on his face and the other held his injured manhood.

Not that Dani had the chance to enjoy the sight. Pain exploded throughout the front of her skull, blurring her vision as the sounds around her warped. She forced herself to roll over, crawling forward on all fours to get away. Dani fought to remember why she had to move, had to get away, even to remember where she was. Her hand brushed something solid as she crawled. There was a leather-bound book in front of her on the floor. Reaching her hand out, she hissed in pain when something burned her skin and she retracted it to clutch her injured appendage to her chest. Locating the source, Dani stared dumbfoundedly at the smoldering ember burning down to nothing but ash on the book's cover. She turned her eyes heavenward, her mouth slowly opening in astonishment.

It was snowing. Bright red, flickering snow that cast shadows all around her. For a brief dumb second, Dani thought that she was trapped in a fiery snow globe.

A warm flake landed on her cheek. She brushed it off, rubbing the grey flake between her fingertips.

Dani gave her head a small shake. (**This isn't right. Snow's not grey and warm.**)

Spotting the book again, Dani scooped the volume up, cradling it to her chest like a newborn infant. She couldn't remember why it was important, but she knew deep down that it was everything. She continued to crawl, only pausing when she felt a rough tugging on the sleeve of her jacket. The sight in front of her made no sense to her. There was a raccoon standing upright, his mouth moving frantically but all she could make out was garbled nonsense, as though she were underwater.

(**What the…**)

"…snap…we…leave…SNAP OUT OF IT, PRINCESS!" Its voice came crashing down on her ears like a tidal wave, making her pounding head throb worse.

"Rocket?"

"Way to keep up, Half Speed! You got the book, so we gotta go now! They're calling in reinforcements." He hollered, yanking on her sleeve again. Dani focused on the room. What she originally thought was fiery snow was actually a ticker tape parade of paper that had been lit aflame from misfired shots.

(**Now that's something you don't see every day.**)

She went to stand up, only pitching forward to the floor, landing awkwardly on her hands. Her vision wobbled, not letting her get up to her feet just yet.

"I can't, Rocket. Gimme a second, I hit my head."

"On what?

Dani rubbed her temples gingerly, shutting her eyes and she willed the pain away.

"On Turos' head." She barked, pointing with her thumb behind her. Rocket peeked around her, letting out a low whistle.

"Damn, Princess. You did a number on him, didn't know you had it in you." He chuckled. Dani felt someone kneel in front of her.

Sandalwood and pine.

"Peter." She whispered in desperation, reaching out. He took her hand in his while his other carefully brushed her messed up hair back from her face.

"What happened? You're bleeding."

Her hand moved to the front of her forehead, her fingers slid across something warm and sticky.

"I'll explain later. I don't think its mine anyway. Help me up, Peter." He wrapped an arm around her waist, carefully pulling her to her feet.

"It's definitely yours. There's a gash on your forehead. You get the book?" Dani lifted the book eye level, a small smile flitting over her face.

"Is that doubt that I detect in your voice, Mr. Quill?" She joked, baiting him. He surprised her when he merely nodded and glanced around to the others.

(**Did he just give me the cold shoulder?**)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After a hasty getaway from the auction house, the group ran down the street, making a direct beeline back to the Milano, not having any more issues as they hauled ass outta there. A stitch lodged itself into Dani's side as she fought to keep up with the others. They finally slowed outside the docking terminal, all of them taking a moment to catch their breath. Dani moved over to Peter as she rubbed her side stitch out.

"Is there something you want to talk to me about?" She questioned. Peter pointedly ignored her, looking away. Dani raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really? You're ignoring me?' She stated. 'Real mature, Quill."

Peter had taken a few steps away but spun around on his heel, face red, pointing at her while moving back towards Dani.

"What about that shit you pulled back there? Willingly becoming some sicko's sex slave on the very slim chance of getting your people back? He's a slave salvager, Dani. He would've lied out his ass to get what he wants. I had an angle and you stomped all over it." Peter snapped at her, visibly shaking from anger.

"The shit I pulled? You insulted him from the very start! There was no way he was gonna negotiate with us after that." She spat back. She wasn't going to let him try to make this out to be her fault.

"I had a plan!" He snapped, throwing his arms up when he yelled. Dani scoffed at his retort.

"Hey guys, we need to get going…" Gamora chimed in but the two didn't register her speaking.

"I seriously doubt that you did. I'm not going to let you gamble with Terry and Amelia's lives because you wanna have a pissing contest. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to save them." She said gravely.

Peter's eyes went wide as he stared intently at her, disbelief and anger still evident on his face.

"Yeah, I see that now. Even if that means spreading your legs for half of the galaxy in the process."

There was an audible collected gasp around them. Dani's face fell, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn't believe that he said that, much less thought that about her. Dani's left hand flew out, aiming to slap him in the face but Peter seen it coming, catching her wrist inches from his face. His expression softened, realizing the hurtful words he had just uttered to her.

"Dani, I'm…"

Whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by Dani's right fist connecting with his jaw. His head snapped to the side as he staggered back, losing grip of her wrist. Dani's eyes welled up as she clutched her fist with her other hand. Pain shot up her arm. Having never thrown a punch in her life, she wasn't sure how that one went.

Gamora snatched her injured hand, gingerly moving it around. She hissed in pain, trying to keep herself from crying out loud.

"It's fine, you jolted it hard though. Next time tighten your wrist, or you may end up breaking it. Now, if you two are done with your tantrum, we need to get off this planet." She snapped, clearly not impressed by the attention the group was drawing from passersby's. She pushed through the glass doors, heading toward the Milano. Drax, Rocket and Groot followed behind her, not knowing what to say or whose side to take.

"That was awkward." She heard Rocket mumble.

Dani rubbed her wrist gently, turning her attention to Peter. He rotated his head, his neck cracking in the process as he rubbed his jaw tenderly.

Peter cast his eyes to ground as he rubbed his jaw. Dani had a helluva right hook, caught him off guard. Shame coursed through him at his horrible words. That was his problem, sometimes his mouth has a mind of its own. Terror had overtaken him back in Turos' office. Not just from the thought of losing Dani when she had just come back into his life. He also couldn't control his brain from conjuring mental images of his Dani being physical with another man. The two thoughts scared and angered him in a way that he couldn't handle or explain.

He watched her as she rubbed her wrist.

"Listen, I'm…" Dani held up her uninjured hand.

"Unless the next words out of your stupid mouth are 'I'm sorry that I'm a heartless, dick faced douche', I don't wanna hear anything from you." Dani growled at him, daring Peter to say anything to the contrary. Peter sighed in resignation, slapping a gloved hand on his chest.

"I'm truly sorry that I'm a heartless, dick faced douche. I didn't mean what I had said. You scared the hell out of me back there, Dani."

She scowled at him, still angry. Dani turned away from him, heading to the doors.

"We can hash this out later. Gamora's right, we need to get going."

Dani walked through the doorway, only to come to a screeching halt that caused Peter to bump into her.

"Why did you…" He trailed off, seeing the reason for himself.

Gamora, Drax and Rocket were on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Approximately six men had their weapons pointed at them while another four had theirs directly at Dani and Peter. They both raised their hands slowly above their heads.

A young, redheaded man with a scraggly beard and a thin, scarred face stepped forward. He couldn't have been older than twenty-six. A bored, aloof smile adorned his face.

"Well, that was easy. Mr. Turos said you would put up a helluva fight. Now, which one of you is Daniella?" He asked, glancing between her and Gamora.

Dani gulped, stepping forward. "I am."

His eyes swept up and down her body.

"It's hard to see what Mr. Turos was talking about underneath all that blood." He moved forward, his hand pushing her bloodstained hair back from her face, pulling matted hair off her gash on her forehead. She hissed in pain at the movement. He smiled at her.

"Oh, there you are. I can see it now. He's not very happy with you right now, Love. He still wants you for some reason, yet he made it clear that I was to convey his disappointment without causing more harm to that lovely face." He paused, looking into Dani's eyes.

"I am sorry for this, Love."

Without warning, the man punched Dani hard in the stomach. She crumpled to the ground, gagging and throwing up stomach acid onto the tiled floor, her body reeling in blinding pain. She curled up into a ball as she waited for what felt like years for the excruciating pain to subside.

"You son of a…" Peter charged at him, halting his attack when the man drew a gun, pointing one at Peter's face and another trained-on Dani's prone form on the floor.

"Nuh uh uh, Hero Boy. Not today. Now this only ends one of two ways. The first, I take Retching Beauty there, along with the ledger and the other woman, back to my employer and you and the rest of underwhelming crew will be granted mercy, a quick painless death. The second, I kill all of you very slowly, including Daniella and the green woman. I'll claim she pulled a gun on me, then take the ledger back to Mr. Turos, covered in you and everyone you loves' blood. Either is good for me, honestly." He said calmly. He pushed the barrel of the gun into Dani's back to prove his point.

Peter stared down at her then glanced at the others, his mind scrambling to come up with a plan.

"Tick tock." The man jested, waving the gun in Peter's face slowly from side to side.

"Peter." Dani croaked out, glancing up through her hair in her face. He looked back down, locking eyes with her watery ones.

"Forget about me. You must find them. For me, please." She rasped, begging as she clutched her aching stomach. The Man rolled his eyes, turning to look down at her. He moved the gun off her to wave it around dramatically.

"Seriously, Love, keep up with the now. That offer isn't on the table. It's either quick death or slow death."

Noticing the man was distracted, Peter spun his head to Gamora. She quickly nodded once, spinning around on one knee, bracing herself on the ground with one hand while breaking the wrist of the man behind her. Her other leg flew out, swiping his legs out from under him.

Peter moved like lightning. He knocked the gun out of the Man's hand. He charged forward, aiming low and yelling as he wrapped his arms around him, lifting the Man up momentarily before tackling him to the ground. Drax and Rocket leapt into action. Drax shoved down one guy while grabbing another two, successfully bashing their heads together. Rocket was on the back of another. Dani couldn't make out what he was doing from her position but knew it was bad judging by the screams she heard. Dani pulled herself into a sitting position then scooted forward.

Peter was straddling the young man's chest, clutching his jacket in one hand and pummeling his face with the other. Dani lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulled back, dragging Peter off the unmoving man. She was able to pull him so easily because Peter was lost in his own head, tunnel vision blocking out everything but the blind fury coursing through his being. He was on his back on the cold tile floor before he even realized what was happening. His eyes caught sight of a halo of yellow leaning over top of him, along with emerald green eyes pulling him out of his darkness.

Dani leaned over him, her hands on his face, her thumbs massaging his cheekbones.

"It's alright, Peter. It's over. It's all over." She cooed, trying to calm him down. The man lay a few feet away, she wasn't sure if he was dead or just unconscious from the beatdown Peter rained down on him. Peter gazed up at her, his hand coming up to brush her wild curls from her face.

"Dani." He breathily said her name, as though it were a prayer.

"Yes?"

"You need to stop with the martyr bullshit. I'm getting tired of rescuing you." He teased, pulling a shaky laugh out of her.

"Seriously. It's a full-time job." He added, making her giggle more.

"What am I going to do with you?" She said rhetorically, moving back to sit on the tiled floor. Peter sat up, looking around for the others.

Gamora walked over to them, sheathing her sword. She offered a hand to Dani, who accepted it with a quiet thank you. She wobbled a little, regaining her balance.

"You ok?" Gamora asked, receiving a nod in response.

"Yeah, I might be eating solid foods again one day." Dani laughed sarcastically, earning a smirk from Gamora.

"You'll be fine. Is that the first hit you've ever taken?"

"Is it that obvious?" She grimaced, not receiving a response.

"We should talk, later. Now, we leave." And with that, Gamora turned and made her way down the terminal. Dani turned to help Peter up, but he was already standing, brushing off his coat. His eyes met hers, his mouth opening to speak.

"Later, we gotta go." She said, snatching up the ledger, making her way to catch up with the others.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	9. What The H-E- Double Hockey Sticks?

_****PLEASE READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE PROCEDING ANY FURTHER..**_

This chapter is very short but it needs to be put out before my next _very _long chapter. As to the bold annoyance above, I have said from the get go that this story would eventually change from 'T' to 'M' at some point. Well, that time has come. This is the last chapter I can post before changing the rating. The rest of the story has mature adult themes that are not everyone's cup of tea and I want to warn people. I know going into this that I will lose readers but this is how I wanted Dani and Peter's story to progress. If you don't mind mature themes, then please continue reading future chapters but you have been informed. Moving on, if you are enjoying the story, please drop me a review and let me know what you think. Enjoy.

**Chapter Nine: What the H-E-Double Hockey Sticks Does That Mean?**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You need to focus, anticipate my next move."

Gamora stood in front of Dani, eyeing the blonde closely before circling her like a predator does before pouncing on its prey. Dani took a step back and moved as well, making sure she kept Gamora in front of her. Gamora charged at her, aiming her fist towards Dani's face. She threw her hands out, deflecting the hit that would've surely knocked her out, again. Dani smiled triumphantly, thrilled that she had successfully blocked a hit finally. Her victory was short lived. Gamora spun around, her elbow connecting with the blonde's chest. Dani stumbled back, gasping for air, stunned then fell back onto her butt. Gamora reached down, pulling her to her feet. Dani rubbed her aching chest.

(**That's gonna bruise.**)

"Nice block, but you got cocky. Let your pride blind you. Remember what I told you. Focus and anticipate."

Dani scoffed. "I'm trying. You do have a bit more experience in this arena than I do, Sensei."

Gamora turned to her, frowning.

"I offered to teach you to fight, I told you it would be tough and strenuous. You even said yourself not to hold back too much.' She paused, moving towards the blonde. 'I've grown fond of you, Dani. I want you to be able to defend yourself. You can't do that if you're dead."

Dani shifted, feeling slightly surprised by her words.

"I'm willing and grateful to learn but I have all of you with me to save me like a damsel in distress." She teased, trying to alleviate the serious tone of the room. Gamora looked sadly at her.

"There may come a time when we're not there to protect you. If Peter had allowed you to take Turos' deal the other day, you would probably be dead already from that pervert's devices. I know the type."

Dani gulped. Gamora turned away, rotating her shoulders.

"Again!" She called out firmly, making Dani's face blanched.

"Can we take a break, my newfound buddy? I'm still catching my breath from your pointy elbow."

Gamora smirked at her.

"When your attacker is hellbent on killing you violently, I doubt you'll be granted a breather. Now, arms up!" She yelled, giving Dani only a second to prepare for another onslaught of hits.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gamora paused outside of Peter's room, her closed fist hovering in front of the door. She was working up the courage to actually knock. Butterflies were bashing against the lining of her stomach. She jumped back in surprise when the door opened.

Peter's eyes widened in mild surprise at seeing her loitering in front of his door. "Gamora, what are you doing?" He asked curiously.

"Can you come up to the cockpit with me? There's something I need to show you." She rushed out in a hurry incase she wussed out. Peter nodded.

"Um, okay, after you." He said, closing the door. Gamora forced herself not to turn tail and run down the corridor in terror. She'd never be able to live down that particular embarrassment. She led them to the stairwell, then up into the cockpit.

Peter glanced around the room. "So, what did you need to show me?"

Gamora moved to the console, plugging in Dani's iPod that she 'borrowed', finding the song she had chosen for this moment a while back from the blonde's selection. She pressed play and set it down, turning to see Peter's puzzled expression. The opening notes of the up tempo melodic disco tune drifted from the speakers. Steeling her nerves, she held her hand out to him.

"Dance with me, Peter."

He stared dumbfounded at her hand then up to her face, chuckling. His laughter faltered when he took in the serious look on her face. The sounds of the Bee Gee's 'More Than A Woman' filling the room around them.

"You're kidding, right? I thought you don't dance." She smiled at him, stepping inches in front of him, taking his hands.

"I don't, didn't, actually but I've had some inspiration lately."

Throwing caution to the wind, she swayed her hips along with her shoulders, moving in time with the music. She pulled him closer to her. Peter found himself smiling in surprise by her actions.

"Didn't take you for a Bee Gees fan." He began moving with her. She smiled back at him.

"What can I say? It's a good choice. I am more than a woman." Gamora replied in what she hoped was a seductive tone, allowing herself to loosen up. Peter audibly gulped. They continued dancing to the music.

Gamora, feeling a little more brave, slid up against his body. Her fingers sliding up his exposed forearms as his sleeves from his long sleeved shirt were pushed up. She laid her hand on his chest, glancing up at his face that was very close to her own. She slowed her dancing.

"Peter, I think we need to finally address our feelings about each other. I like you, I think I'm falling for you actually. I know that you have feelings for me, too. I just think that if we feel this way, we'd be doing an injustice to ourselves for not acting on it." She said in a rush, getting out all the words that had been swirling in her head.

Peter looked deeply into her brown eyes as she spoke, sadness welling up inside of him.

A month ago, he would've rejoiced at her words. Now, they only filled him with shame. During the entirety of the song, he only thought about how much the lyrics reminded him of Dani. She was still mad at him for his careless words to her on Alpha Bova. He had been racking his brain, trying to figure out a way to make it up to her. Which was hard to do when she high tailed it to another part of the ship every time they saw each other.

"Peter?" Gamora's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Gamora, I don't know what to say." He simply responded, not sure how to handle this situation. There was no way he was going to voice his growing attraction for his human friend to Gamora, especially after what she had just said to him.

Her face scrunched up in confusion as she jerked back from him.

"What's that suppose to mean?" She snapped, irritated at his lack of a response.

"I do have some feelings when it comes to you, but they are fading. I'm sorry if that's not what you were expecting but that's how I feel."

Gamora had begun to pace around, contemplating her words along with Peter's. The way he explained his feelings were not adding up. She had been quite certain that there was something growing between them. But now, as she thought on recent events, she recognized a shift in him, in how he behaved around her. Almost as if he were being pulled away. She stopped pacing, throwing her arms out.

"What do you mean by fading? I know that there was something there. The only thing that's changing anything around here…" She trailed off, her brain setting the puzzle pieces in the right order. Her eyes welled up and she clenched her jaw tightly when everything fell into place. She turned back to him.

"It's Dani, isn't it?" She asked quietly, her voice cracking.

Peter stared intently at the floor, not having the heart to say something that would cause her more pain. Gamora only fumed more at his quietness.

"Answer me. I deserve that much." Peter's gaze found hers, feeling worse upon seeing the pain in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sorry." He confirmed, taking a step towards her. Gamora held her hand up, keeping some distance between them.

"Please, don't. I just can't right now." She muttered, heading for the steps. Once she was gone, Peter groaned loudly, rubbing his hands down his face. He wondered to himself when in the hell did his life become a damn soap opera.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	10. Cat Fight

****AUTHOR"S NOTE: PLEASE READ **

Hello again, ok, so I got to thinking about what I posted in my previous chapter's author's note and came up with an idea. I decided on a compromise so I can keep the 'T' rating. I'm taking a page out of another author's story I seen on this site. I will have a normal 'T' rated story with the 'T' rated chapter posted there and another version in my author's stories list that will have the same chapter but with the unedited 'M' rated chapter. I hope that makes sense. So, in short, there will be two versions of the same story, one 'T' and one 'M' rated in my author stories.

For my readers who want to read the 'M' version, I'll make a note at the top of each chapter I post to inform you all if there is 'M' version available for each chapter I post here on out. Sorry if that's confusing and feel free to message me if you have any questions. I hope you enjoy this regular 'T' chapter. It was going to be a lot longer but I decided to cut it in half so I could update today. Enjoy!

**Chapter Ten: Catfight**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

"Judging from what I gathered from the ledger, there was a man and woman delivered from Earth on the last shipment, fitting Terry and Amelia's description to a tee. Amelia was sold to a man named Korvek from the planet Dorang. According to our nav system, it's the closest planet. Book says that she was bought under the pretext of 'Residential Use', meaning that she's basically a cleaning maid. She got lucky." Peter added, flipping through the ledger. Dani's head snapped up.

"Lucky? You call being ripped from your home and sold into slavery lucky?" She snapped, still irritated at him from the other day when he basically called her 'Loose'. Peter grimaced at her angry stare but stood his ground.

"Yes, she is. Slaves can be bought and put to use to horrors you don't want to think about, so in a way, she is."

His words ran through her like a knife. He was right, he was just being honest. Dani softened her expression.

"You're right. I'm sorry, please continue."

Peter nodded, turning his attention to everyone at the table. He took a seat and fiddled with the pages before resuming.

"We're only about a day away from Dorang. Once we find where Korvek lives, we'll stake his place out, find a way in. Should be easy enough." He explained.

"What about Dani's brother?" Drax asked. Dani didn't like the way Peter flinched at the question. He loudly cleared his throat.

"Uh, well, I think its important to focus on one rescue mission at a time. I mean, we have a lot of planning, stake outs, infiltration ahead of us, not to mention coming up with an exit strategy. No real point in weighing us down with too much at once, especially since we got to handle this first. Reminds me of an old Earth saying. 'We'll cross that bridge when…"

"Peter! You're rambling. How about you tell us where he is for starters? We can figure out the rest later." Dani interrupted his rambling. Peter chewed nervously on his bottom lip as he absently spun the ledger on the glass table top, unable to look at Dani. He really, really didn't want to have to tell her. It was really, really bad.

She leaned forward, placing her hands flat on the table. "Tell me."

Peter stared at her hands as he spoke. "He's on Zakkar."

Like that was supposed to mean anything to Dani.

Gamora audibly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. Drax's mouth popped open while Rocket snorted, jumping up in his seat, clearly worked up.

"Zakkar? You're kidding, right?" He asked, hoping that Quill was joking. Peter silently shook his head, causing Rocket to scoff.

"What's Zakkar? Is it bad?" Dani demanded, becoming all the more agitated.

"It's a total suicide mission is what it is. I hate to break it to you Princess, but if he's not dead already, he will be before we can get to him." Rocket replied. Gamora leaned her elbows on the table, turning in her seat towards Dani.

"Zakkar is a very small planet with only one real function when it comes to a slave's usefulness. They're bought and then brought to Zakkar to fight in the Battle Pits."

Dani felt herself go ice cold.

"Like Earth's Roman gladiator fights?" She asked quietly, turning to Peter. He nodded, causing Dani's world to come crashing down on her head. She leapt up from her seat.

"Then we go there first!"

"What about Amelia?" He reminded.

"She's basically a housekeeper. She'll be alright for now. Terry is in more danger." She rationalized, unable to think about anything but her brother.

"Dani, wait." Peter called out, pulling her attention.

"There's a few things you need to take into account. First, according to the ledger, Terry was bought ten days ago. It's a four day journey from Alpha Bova to Zakkar. Second, once there, the slave masters spend about two weeks training the slaves to fight so that they'll put on more of a show. Terry's in training for at least another week. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It's difficult. He's going through a tough training regiment but he's alive. They spent a lot of units for him, they'll make sure he has any medical treatment he needs, proper food, a roof over his head. We're only a day from Amelia, maybe two until you have her back. If Korvek decides to sell her, we may never find her again. Not everyone keeps pristine records like the Salvagers. We need to be smart about this." Peter reasoned, trying to calm her and also to see the logic of this course of action. Dani numbly plopped back into her seat, torn on how to procede.

"Dani, Quill's right. Terry is fine for now but we're so close to Amelia and we don't know her situation. It makes sense." Gamora said delicately, agreeing with Peter.

Peter spoke up. "It's your call though, Patrick. This is your rescue mission."

Dani's mind focused on Terry. She couldn't banish the images of him most likely being beaten, knocked around, forced to learn to fight in order to survive. He must be so terrified. Every fiber of her being screamed to go to Zakkar and save him first. However if Peter and Gamora were right, he wasn't going anywhere and despite the situation, he was technically being taken care of. The same couldn't be said about her friend's fate.

(**Dammit it all to hell!**)

"What's it going to be? Dorang or Zakkar?" Drax asked. She took a deep breath.

"Dorang."

Peter nodded.

"All right, Dorang it is."

Everyone stood up away from the table. Peter moved around it towards Dani. He wanted to talk with her privately, to apologize for what he said on Alpha Bova. Also, to be honest, he really wanted to try to get her to rethink the whole 'We would never work' issue but she moved away too quickly, chasing after Gamora.

Gamora.

Another person who he cared deeply for who was also not speaking to him.

(**Dammit, I need a smaller ship**.)

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Gamora, wait up!"

Gamora paused, clenching her eyes shut. She didn't want to be around Dani right now. After embarrassing herself earlier that day with Quill, she still hadn't gotten her emotions completely in check yet. It wasn't Dani's fault for how Quill was feeling towards her but Gamora was hurt and angry nonetheless. She morphed her face into a mask of indifference before the blonde caught up with her.

"What is it?" She demanded, a little too harshly. Dani's steps faltered, noticing the change of attitude. She chose to brush it off.

"Did you want to have a dance session? We haven't had one in a few days. You seem stressed so I figured you might be in the mood for some _grooving_." She teased, swaying her body and arms in time to some nonexistent music. She, however, halted when Gamora continued to stare blankly at her attempt at humor.

"No, thank you. I think I've had enough of dancing honestly. It doesn't interest me anymore and no, I don't want to talk about it."

As confused as Dani was by the change in attitude radiating from Gamora, she decided not to push her for any enlightenment. If she wanted to talk about what was bothering her, Dani would let her be the one to start the discussion.

"Um, ok. How about a sparring lesson then?" She suggested instead. Sparring sounded better to her at the moment anyway, Dani had some pent up frustration that needed to be burnt off and some combat training sounded perfect.

"Not right now, I don't think that is a good idea." Gamora responded flatly. Dani's heart deflated.

"Please? If things are really going to get as dangerous as you all say it will with these missions, I'll need to get in as much training as I can."

"I said no, Dani!" Gamora snapped, causing the other woman's eyebrows to lift in alarm.

"Wow… what's going on with you? You have been uptight and snappy with me all day. Did I do something wrong?" Dani blurted out, unable to hold her tongue anymore. She was beginning to feel as though Gamora's bad mood was being directed at her, but she couldn't think as to a reason why.

Gamora grinded her teeth. For some reason, Dani's innocent questions set her off to the point of near recklessness.

"Fine, you want to train? We'll train. Let's go." Gamora huffed out, making a beeline down to the bay area that they used for dancing/sparring lessons, dragging Dani in tow. Pausing hesitantly once inside the bay area, Dani darted her gaze around the room in trepidation. There was definitely something wrong.

"Is there something you need to tell me?" She asked, her movements shaky as she pulled her hoodie off, adjusting her tank top. Gamora laughed sarcastically as she eyed the weapons rack that was set up in the corner of the room.

"Of course not. Everything is great, just absolutely wonderful." She snipped, grabbing two wooden staffs off of the weapon rack. She threw one at Dani at such a fast pace, that it clattered loudly to the floor at the blonde's feet, she missed catching the weapon completely. She bent down and retrieved the staff, holding it awkwardly in her hands.

"Uh, we haven't practiced much with the staff, you know. You said yourself we were focusing on hand to hand combat a little longer." Dani remarked, unease growing in the pit of her stomach. Gamora had practiced a few times with her on the staff, primarily just defensive blocks before realizing quickly that Dani's hand eye coordination wasn't ready for that just yet.

"You need more of a challenge. You want to take on the universe to find your loved ones? You gotta push yourself to your breaking point and then some." She said in a low voice that did nothing for the blonde's nerves.

Dani's unease reached an all new height.

"How about later? You seem to be in a bit of a bad…"

Gamora let out a yell that reminded her of a battle cry that Dani had seen only in war movies as she charged forward, shocking the hell out of Dani. Gamora had always started off slower when she was on offensive to allow Dani a moment to get in the flow of a fight. Whatever was going on with her right now, it seemed that slower building of momentum was out the window.

Gamora aimed high, bringing her staff down toward Dani's head in a flash of movement. She blocked, barely. Dani tried to anticipate which way she was attacking but the blonde had no idea how fast Gamora truly was.

Taking a few fast and well aimed hits in the arms and a very painful hit to the stomach, Dani was officially so over being used as Gamora's anger outlet.

"Gamora, stop! I can't keep up at this pace." She called out as she dived forward, abandoning the staff, to roll in an attempt to get away from the onslaught. If Gamora's attacks escalated anymore, she may end up seriously injured or something worse in no time.

Dani dove underneath a nearby metal table. Gamora threw her staff aside, striding over and reached under to grab her. Running on pure adrenaline, Dani kicked out, catching her hard in the elbow, causing Gamora to yell out in pain. She reached her other arm under the table and grabbed Dani by her hair, yanking her roughly around once she pulled her out. Dani's body kicked into fight or flight mode, accepting that Gamora was too much in a blind rage to stop.

She balled her fist tightly and swung as fast as she could, landing a hard shot into Gamora's kidney. The brunette's grip weakened as she cried out and Dani seized the moment of distraction, she pulled her head away from her grip, ripping out some hair in the process. Dani swung again, connecting with Gamora's temple, momentarily stunning the other woman. Dani bolted in an all out run for the door.

"Somebody help!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her leg buckled under her, causing her to crumple face first to the floor like a ragdoll. Gamora had shaken off her hit and kicked her in the back of the knee before she could reach the door. Gamora grabbed her up by the front of her tank top, punching Dani hard in the face, stunning her.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed on Earth?! It's not fair, it's not suppose to be this way!" Gamora angrily sobbed, tears streaming down her green face. She went to hit again but Dani deflected her arm this time. Dani wasn't naïve, there was no way she could win this fight. All she could do was buy herself some time and pray that someone heard her scream for help.

It was time to fight dirty and embarrass herself.

After deflecting Gamora's hit, Dani rocked herself forward, latching her teeth into the exposed skin of Gamora's forearm as hard as she could, praying the element of surprise would work in her favor.

Gamora screamed in shock, pulling her arm away at the same time Dani reached up and tangled both of her hands in the other woman's dark hair. She pulled as hard as she could, causing Gamora's knees to buckle forward, bring them both crashing to the floor. Dani rolled, flinging herself on top of Gamora, attempting to pin her enough to keep her from punching Dani as she continued to cling to her dark hair for dear life. Gamora painfully yelled out as she used her leg to brace herself on the floor and flipped them over, Dani on her back and her on top. Dani panicked when she felt the other woman's weight shift, knowing Gamora was raising her arm to throw another punch. She braced herself for the impact but the hit never landed. Dani stared dumbly at Gamora's body being lifted off her own. She felt someone else prying her hands open, her brain playing catch up to what was occurring.

"Let go, Dani!" Drax hollered, using all his strength to pin Gamora's arms down as she fought to get away from the iron tight grip. Dani's hands shot open, releasing her hold on her hair.

She felt arms slide under her underarms, pulling her upright. Dani glanced over her right shoulder, bringing her face mere inches from Peter's. Relief flooded through her. He let her go once he was sure she was steady on her feet.

"What in the Sam Hill is going on here?" He yelled, stepping between them, shooting confused glances at the two women.

Dani leaned forward, bracing her hands on her knees as she breathed raggedly, catching her breath, her chest heaving painfully. Gamora stopped struggling against Drax, slumping limply in his arms. Dani trailed her eyes up slowly to Gamora's, startled at the regret and shame that had overtaken her expression.

"Dani. My god, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." Gamora pleaded, her voice strangled with emotion as more tears cascaded down her face. She could hear the remorse in her words but was too far gone to process them.

Dani straightened up to stand and turned away, numbly heading out the door. She made it halfway to her room before she came to a dead stop and slumped awkwardly to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest as she broke down, sobbing in the cold, harshly lit hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Okay, please don't hate me! I love Gamora's character, she's such a bad ass. I felt like when I was writing this that this needed to happen. In my story, she had just had heart torn out by the man she was falling in love with and she's a person with emotions after all. She just didn't know how to cope with the rejection and acted on those emotions rashly. Moving on, I hope you didn't absolutely hate this chapter.


	11. How Can I Tell You?

**** Hello there. The sister piece AKA the mature version of this story is now available for reading. It will only have the Mature Chapters posted there, so you'll need to read the 'T' version until a new chapter that says 'Mature Chapter Available' at the top in CAPITAL BOLD LETTERS LIKE THIS. I hope that is not too confusing, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter Eleven: How Can I Tell You?**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani reached the door to her room, staring at her door handle but not really seeing it. Her mind was jumbled to the point where she felt like screaming wildly like a madman.

(**What the hell had that been about****? Did I do something wrong?**)

She was drawing a blank on what she could have possibly done to warrant that reaction from one of the most level minded people she had ever met. She couldn't wrap her around it, so she stuck with her staring mindlessly at the inanimate door handle.

"You ok?"

Dani nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn't heard anyone else in the hallway with her. Peter stood a few feet away, not wanting to crowd her. She shook her head.

"Not really." Her voice came out wobbly. Peter sighed, nodding affirmatively, taking a few tentative steps towards her.

"How about we go in your room and clean that up?"

Her face scrunched in confusion. "Clean what up?"

Peter pointed at her forehead. "Seems you popped a stitch from your glorious head butt on Alpha Bova."

Dani groaned dramatically as she opened her door, gesturing for him to follow. Glancing into the dresser mirror proved that Peter had been correct.

"God, I'm starting to resemble Frankenstein's monster." She moaned, turning away from the mirror and leaned heavily against the dresser. She was being whiney but couldn't careless at the moment.

His eyes moved over the forehead gash that was now bleeding then moved on to lock his gaze with hers, Peter chuckled at her.

"Shut up. You're still gorgeous." He admitted, meaning every word. Dani felt that all too familiar blush spreading up her chest and into her face.

She turned away, fumbling with her dresser drawer. "Then you need to get your eyes checked out."

Peter scoffed. "Bull. I have perfect vision. It's like in the high 100s I think."

Dani lightly laughed at his remark. "You know that's not a good thing, right?"

"Says you."

"Says every optometrist ever." She quipped, pulling open her drawer and extracting the small medical kit inside. Setting it down, she turned to head to her half bath to clean her hands before replacing the stitch. Peter had beaten her there, already coming out and drying his hands.

"Sit." He said, pointing to the bed.

"But…"

He gave her a firm no nonsense stare, nodding to the bed.

"Sit."

Not in the mood to argue, Dani flopped onto the bed and removed her boots so she could sit cross legged as Peter threaded the needle at the desk. He turned towards her, needle in one hand and the kit in the other.

"Um, there's no numbing agent in this one. I can head up onto the deck and look for some?"

"It's just the one, right? Not all four?" She asked.

Peter shrugged, sitting on the bed next to her. "I think so, I'll have to clean it before I know for sure."

He cleaned up the gash with some alcohol wipes and gauze. Thankfully, it was only the one stitch.

"Just stitch it. You'll be done before you find something to numb it anyway."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure? It's not gonna tickle."

Dani stared dead pan at his sarcastic remark. He shrugged, raising his hands to her forehead.

"Just don't jump around too much. I'd hate to stitch one of your pretty green eyes shut." Peter teased, smiling at his own corniness. Dani even cracked a smirk then steadied herself, closing her eyes just in case, pulling a hearty laugh from Peter.

He tried to be as gentle as possible. She forced herself not to jump when the needle pushed through her skin. Dani, however, couldn't stop the gasp of pain that escaped her mouth nor the clenching of her jaw. Her hand clutched the blanket under her and the other shot out, grabbing onto Peter's upper thigh to ground herself. If Peter was surprised at her sudden groping, his face didn't show it. A few minutes of deep steady breaths and his quick movements with the stitching, it was finally over. He wiped up the small trickle of blood from her forehead and cleaned it once more with an alcohol wipe.

"All done, Miss Bad Ass."

She opened her eyes, looking up into his. "Thanks Peter. You did a great job, both eyes are still usable."

He smiled at her joke, his eyes trailing down to her hand that was still firmly clutching his thigh.

"Oh, sorry." Dani apologized, ripping her hand back as though his leg was made of lava.

"I wasn't complaining." Peter said in a low voice that made her stomach flip and flop. He stood, throwing out the used supplies and washing his hands before sitting back down next to her. Dani prepared herself for what she knew was coming next.

"So, do you want to fill me in on what exactly all of that was about?"

She snorted derisively.

"I can't. Not because I won't but because I really don't know myself. I asked Gamora if she would practice sparring with me. Something was off from the start, but I chose to ignore it. The next thing I know, she began fighting with me at a speed that we both know I'm not ready for. It suddenly became a real fight. I wish I knew what all of that was about. I'm guessing you heard me screaming bloody murder?" She asked, running a hand along the bed's edge as she spoke.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if people back on Earth had heard you."

Peter crossed his arms in front of him. "I already spoke with Gamora and I've deduced what that whole fight was about." He let on.

She looked back up at him, nodding at him to fill her in.

"Not going too much into details. Gamora came to me today and told me that she was falling in love with me." He replied, running his hand roughly through his hair.

Dani chewed at her cheek, absorbing his words. "And what did you say?"

Peter fell silent, only looking up in her eyes with an intensity that told her everything without saying anything at all. She groaned, already connecting the dots. Dani placed her hands on the side of her face.

"Oh Peter. You didn't."

He raised his hands out in front of him, palms up. "What was I supposed to say? Yes, I once had developing feelings for her, but they faded away."

Peter scooted closer to her, now only half an arm's length away.

"Peter, please don't. We cannot rehash this. I've said my peace." Dani went to scoot back to put some distance between them but that proved to be fruitless. His hands shot out, catching her own and pulling her closer to him. He wrapped them carefully but firmly around the back of her neck, holding Dani in place as his thumbs caressed her cheekbones.

"Please, Dani." His pleading voice made her breath hitch in her throat, her emerald green eyes flying up to lock with his dark green ones that were open, unguarded.

"Stop pushing me away. Stop saying that we'll never work. I'll make it work; we'll figure this out. Together. Just try. Please."

Peter's words burned a hole right through her heart, scorching Dani right down to her very soul. Her gaze flitted downwards, unable to hold his intense gaze, focusing instead on a button on his shirt in order to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts.

Peter, however, was having none of that. Not anymore.

He firmly caressed her cheeks again and dipped his head, so his eyes caught hers.

"Hey, look at me, I'm talking. That's rude." He teased.

Her eyes betrayed her, locking with his again. Dani's heart clenched painfully as she took in his handsome and open face.

"I'm not going to give up on you, Daniella Rose Patrick, so you better just save us a great deal of arguments and awkward moments and admit that I'm awesome and that you're secretly madly in love with me." He said, making the serious moment comically absurd.

"Only you, Peter, could make such a heartfelt moment so borderline cheesy." She replied.

Dani lifted a hand and placed it on top of one of his that was still cupping her face. Feeling a zing that shot through her fingers at the smallest contact with his hand race straight to her heart, Dani gasped. Some huge indescribable chunk of her resistance broke off, floating away into sheer nothingness. She felt tired and electrified all at once. Tired of pushing him away. Dani now only deeply wanted to pull Peter towards her instead. Every fiber of her being ached to kiss him, to pull him to her, into her heart as well but she was so emotionally burnt out from the chaotic mess that had become her life. From Terry and Amelia's abduction, leaving Earth behind, the incident on Alpha Bova and now her physical altercation with Gamora. She just wanted to power down her mind and sleep for a month.

Choosing her words carefully, she took a steady breath before she dared look back up into those eyes that was tearing her self-control apart.

"I'm not pushing you away anymore, but I need some processing time. I'm tired of keeping you at arm's length. Just please understand that with everything that has happened lately, I'm mentally exhausted and I can't handle this now. Please give me tonight, Peter. I promise that I will be capable of handling this discussion after about a solid eight hours of deep sleep." Dani explained, giving all that she had in her.

Her stomach began churning with unease when she was met with Peter's stony silence, feeling more uncomfortable as he stared at her blankly. She prayed that he was only evaluating her words. Her body relaxed slightly when his trademark Peter Quill smirk donned his face. He leaned forward, pressing a light but lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Seems we have an accord, Patrick, I'll take it. See, we're making progress already. I finally wore you down." Peter replied after pulling back to look at her.

A huge weight that Dani hadn't noticed was resting like a heavy boulder miraculously lifted, pulling a genuine smile out of her. Peter stood up from the bed, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"I'll let you get some sleep. We all could use some. Big day tomorrow."

He moved toward the door. Dani's hand shot out, latching onto his arm. She was tired, yes, but she didn't want to be alone.

"Stay, please?" She asked, her voice borderline pleading. Peter raised a suggestive eyebrow and smirked wickedly at her.

"Really? That was fast." She gave him a pointed stare.

"Just to sleep, pervert. Don't get fresh with me, Quill." Dani said evenly. Peter laughed at her expression, sitting back on the bed to remove his boots. Dani got up and pulled back her blanket, getting ready to settle in for the night.

"You might want to change your top, FYI."

Looking down, she saw that her tank top was covered in a little blood and the collar was torn, exposing a great deal of her black sports bra, along with some of her cleavage peeking out the top. Dani expression turned horrified.

"You're just now telling me that my twins are visible?"

Peter shrugged nonchalantly.

"Hey, I'm still a man. You can't blame me for enjoying the view for as long as I can." He admitted, looking unabashed as he pulled off a boot.

After changing into some clean clothes in her half bath, Dani climbed into bed, scooting over to make room for Peter to join her. He pulled her close against his boxer clad body causing Dani to jump a little, startled.

"Just relax, why are you so tense? It's only me."

She snickered to herself humorlessly.

"You just answered your own question in the same breath." She blurted out, mentally cringing at her lack of a brain to mouth filter. Peter slid his arm under the crook of her shoulder, his fingers gently rubbing down the length of her exposed arm. Dani closed her eyes, willing herself to relax against his warm body. After all, it was she who asked him to stay.

"Do you mind if I turn on some music? It helps me sleep; I'll keep it low." He asked, gesturing to her stereo dock next to the bed on her nightstand. She merely nodded into his arm, feeling him reach over and pull her iPod off the dock. Closing her eyes again, Dani felt her body start to unwind, possibly from the warmth Peter's body was giving off. She scooted closer to him, keeping her eyes closed to avoid the light from the MP3 player in the semi dark room. Dani rested her head upon his bare chest and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"Prepare to be cuddled." She yawned, her head lightly bouncing as Peter released a rumbling laugh.

"Didn't give me much time to prepare, you're like a snake coiled around me."

She lifted her head as if to move away. "Well, if you don't want me to…"

Dani smiled when Peter pushed her head back gently onto his chest.

Finally choosing a song, he replaced the player back onto the dock. The opening notes of a very familiar song trickled out of the speakers.

Opening her eyes, she glanced up to shoot a raised eyebrow at him, meeting his cheeky grin on his face.

"Now it is my turn to say 'Really?'. I have hundreds and hundreds of songs and you chose this?"

"It's a good song.' He replied innocently, shutting his own eyes, absorbing the music. 'Now, shush."

"Mm-hmm." Was all Dani said before closing her eyes as well and snuggling back into Peter's chest, his deep, steady breathing calming her as The Temptations began singing.

_Hey girl, tell me what's your name? (what's your name?)_

_I, I like your style (I like your style) _

_Can I stick around and wrap to you a little while?_

Dani smiled small to herself as she listened.

_All my life I've prayed for someone like you, oh yeah_

_Oh, the look, the look in your eyes tell_

_Tell me you feel the same way I do, oh yeah_

The lyrics the group crooned out were touching a sensitive place in Dani's heart, soothing an ache that she couldn't place before. She knew that Peter chose this song on purpose, she did have some recollection of her first night on the ship as she danced with him to this song.

This song though.

It was shaking her resolve when it came to the distance she had placed between them.

Knowing it wasn't the smartest thing to do but doing it anyway, Dani looked up at him, not surprised that his eyes were open and looking at her in a way that made her feel like Jell-O. Her body was thrumming in time to the pounding of her heart, making her more awake and alert than previously and causing her to feel unsure about waiting for tomorrow to talk to him.

"Stop it." She whispered, shocked that her voice came out steady at all compared to the goo state her insides had turned into. Peter smiled softly in amusement at her as he gently pushed a stray strand of hair off her face.

"Stop what?"

"Looking at me like that."

"Why?" His fingers stroked her hair, raising Dani's pulse. His face was so close, she could feel his breath brushing her cheek.

"You know what you are doing to me, that's why." Dani replied, forcing her body not to shake with nerves and anticipation. They were dangerously close to crossing that imaginary line, the one that they could never retreat to if this continued its current course.

"No, I don't. Tell me what I'm doing to you." Peter requested, sounding more like a challenge than a request. The hidden innuendo of his words to basically pull them both out of this shady gray area of misery that she had put them in by trying to stay friends. Dani swallowed loudly, her mouth dry, and took a deep breath and tried to calm her now pounding heart.

Taking in his wide, beautiful eyes, Dani didn't want to hold herself in check anymore.

"You're driving me crazy, that's what you are doing, Peter Quill. I was so scared about acting on how I feel for you. Scared that I am going to get my heart broken. I don't know how we are ever going to work but I honestly don't care anymore. All I ever do is think about you and I don't want to push you away anymore, Peter." Dani confessed everything that she had been bottling up inside of her, the words flowing out now that she broken that barrier.

Peter's jaw tightened at her words, overcome with emotion. He reached for her, wrapping a hand tightly on the back of her head and pulled her face to his, capturing her lips with his own, unable to not have Dani's against his a moment longer.

Not that she wanted him not to be, Dani didn't have the strength to stay away anymore.

She shifted herself enough to wrap her arms around his broad shoulder, relishing the strong muscles of his back against her hands. His mouth moved against hers as they battled for dominance. Peter's hand slid down to her knee, grasping it firmly as he used his larger frame to pin Dani on her back. Warm chills trembled through her as his fingertips slid gently up her leg, over the curve of her hip. His touch grazed a small inch of exposed skin of Dani's stomach where her top had pushed up, setting her blood ablaze.

Needing oxygen and struggling to keep her overactive hormones in check, Dani pushed against his shoulders.

"Slow up there, cowboy. Let me up."

"Everything ok?" He asked in a rush, worried that he pushed too far too quickly. A small blush crept over her cheeks.

"I have to pee, if you really need to know." She admitted sheepishly. He smiled down at her as he rolled back over, allowing Dani to crawl over top him and made her way to the half bath.

Once finished, Dani stepped back into the room, pulling her wild curls up into a ponytail. She caught Peter's eyes shamelessly watching her, her own gaze moved down to her tank top and short sleep shorts.

"Maybe I better put on some more layers, so you keep your hands off all this?" She waved her hands obnoxiously over her form, modelling for him. Peter flipped onto his side facing her, propping his head onto his hand.

"You could be wearing a horrific muumuu, curlers in your hair and granny slippers and I still wouldn't be able to do that." He exclaimed causing her to laugh hysterically. Peter laid onto his back, raising his arms, signaling for her to get back into bed.

(**How can I resist that?**)

Approaching the edge of the bed, Dani released a squeal of surprise. Peter shot upwards, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and lifted her off her feet, flinging Dani onto her side of the bed. She giggled happily as he rolled part way on top of her as he smothered her neck in loud obnoxious kisses.

Hands finding their way to her sides, Peter attacked, tickling her relentlessly.

"NO! AHHH! Peter, stop! I can't breathe!" Dani gasped harshly between laughs, trying to wiggle out from the tickle onslaught. Finally letting her breathe, Peter pulled back, propping himself up on his elbow to gaze down at Dani. He opened his mouth, but a loud knock echoed against the door.

Peter climbed out of the bed, grumbling on his way to the door under his breath. Dani smiled stupidly, enjoying the sight of his firm back side sway as he walked away. Her eyes widened in horror as a thought popped into her head.

"Peter! Wait…"

It had been too late; he already was opening the door. Dani's body tensed, praying to whatever higher powers there was that the person at the door wasn't Gamora. She relaxed, if only marginally when she heard a different voice.

"Quill? Fancy seeing you here. Opening the door of Princess' room. And in your underwear, no less. There's just some things you can't unsee, thank you for that." Rocket's voice carried into the room, making Dani cringe at his obvious observation of Peter being here and half naked.

"Ok dude, I get it. Quit being a buzzkill. What do you need?"

Rocket snickered at his tone.

"I know that not everyone is as considerate of others as I am, but my room is right next to this one and I'm trying to sleep. Whatever gross sex hijinks you're doing in there, could you please do them quietly?" Rocket demanded more that asked.

Peter, not allowing him to destroy his good mood, simply gave him a thumbs up and slammed the door in his face.

Dani shook her head, trying to shake off the embarrassment. Peter paused halfway back to the bed upon hearing Rocket's voice echoing loudly from the hallway.

"If you two have an accident, don't name it after me!"

"Ohmygod…" She muttered, slapping her hands to her face, beyond mortified. There was no way that the whole ship had not heard his yelling. Peter froze in spot, his fists along with his eyes and jaw clenching shut tightly in annoyance. He took a calming breath then glanced over to her.

"How do you feel about raccoon for dinner tomorrow? Because I am killing him regardless."

"Kill him tomorrow. Just get that fine ass back into this bed." She patted his vacant spot. He climbed back in, muttering under his breath as he went.

"What was that?"

He sighed, laying back against the pillow.

"I was saying that we can't have one moment of peace."

Dani rested her head on his chest as Peter pulled her firmly to his side. They laid in silence for a few moments, each of them drawing solace from the other.

"So, here we are."

"Yep." Was all Dani said, feeling too tired to be drawn into anymore discussions tonight.

"Does this mean no more awkwardness and heated fights between us? I'm wondering because you are sexy as hell when you're screaming emasculating insults at me." Peter teased, trying to get a rise out of her. He ran his hand gently through her hair. Dani didn't bother to hold back her smile. She squeezed him in a half hug and gave his shoulder a quick kiss.

"Oh, we're still gonna fight. There's no doubt about that. You enjoy pissing me off too much to give that up." She replied.

"Well, at least we can have crazy make up sex after we fight. That's always a perk." Dani lighted snorted at his comment.

"Stop jumping the gun. Go to sleep, big day tomorrow." She mumbled, feeling her brain fogging over with exhaustion.

It was then that she noticed her iPod was still on, the melodic notes of Cat Stevens 'How Can I Tell You' lulling her further under. The last thing she could recall was Peter whispering good night into her hair as he kissed the top of her head gently.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	12. That's What She Said

****I'd like to take a moment to thank my first reviewer, RenInWonderlandd, for leaving me two reviews. I'm happy to hear that you like my story so far. I hope I can continue to write in such a way that will keep you, and everyone else reading my story, interested and entertained. **

**Also, thank you to everyone who has favorited and/or followed this story. It makes me thrilled to see that people are enjoying this. I get giddy like a school girl everytime my phone dings and alerts me that I have new followers and/or made it to someone's favorites list.**

**Anyway, this chapter only contains mild language and minor adult content so no mature chapter is available. If you are enjoying my story, please feel free to drop me a review, let me know what you think.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twelve: That's What She Said**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Picking at her food absentmindedly the following morning, Dani took another small bite of her once powdered eggs, her eyes casually sliding across the table at Peter. He was studying a touch screen layout of the planet, Dorang as he ate his own breakfast, his eyes occasionally meeting hers. He gave her a small smirk causing Dani's stomach to flutter as he rubbed his boot against hers under the table.

"My god! Would you two please give us a break? I'm trying to eat here." Rocket snapped, pointing at his plate. Peter shot him a fierce scowl, still pissed about his rude yelling last night. Drax glanced between them, clearly confused.

"Am I missing something? It seems as though I am missing something here." He stated, looking around the table for clarification. Dani stared intently down at her food, hoping that Rocket would keep his mouth shut for once.

"It would appear that we have blossoming romance on our little slice of heaven here. Quill and Princess spent the evening locked in her room last night. The walls of this ship are thinner than they realize." Rocket responded to the inquiry, pointing his fork back and forth between Dani and Peter. Drax's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"That's wonderful news! What's life worth living without love in it?" He exclaimed. Dani furrowed her eyebrows, glancing at him, not one hundred percent sure how to take the statement.

"Um, thanks Drax, I think."

He smiled widely at the two of them.

"But of course. Are you already trying to procreate?" Drax asked, completely serious.

Dani coughed abruptly, choking on a mouthful of eggs. She leaned forward, coughing more violently to dislodge the trapped food from her throat. Peter damn near spit his coffee out, forcing it down between coughs. He stared at Drax in open disbelief.

"What the hell man? Why would you ask that?" He demanded, pointily ignoring the hysterical laughter coming from Rocket.

Drax stared blankly back. "What's the matter? This is what life is about. You find the one you want to be with, you lay together and have offspring of your own. My wife and I didn't waste any time. I can tell you about the story of the first time we…"

"No! No! Let's not!" Peter barked. Dani hid her face in her hands, wishing the floor would open below her and suck her into space. Rocket's laughter somehow grew louder.

"Why not? Did no one explain to you two how reproduction works? Is that the issue here?"

"Dude, seriously…"

"I'm just saying, you two aren't getting any younger. I also think that Dani could bear you many children. She has the perfect size of childbearing hips…"

Dani slammed her hands hard on the table.

"My god! Shut up Drax!" She yelled angrily, her face now beet red and hands shaking from embarrassment. Drax stared at her, opening his mouth to speak but stopped, his gaze focused behind her.

Dani turned, the red of her face instantly drained, leaving her a sick, ashy white. In the doorway stood Gamora, frozen hesitantly in spot, her anxious stare locked on Dani. All the air in the room went still.

"I Am Groot." Groot said from his seat on the table.

"Yes, Groot. It did get quiet. This is what you call an awkward moment." Rocket replied.

The two women stared at each other, one looking remorseful, the other frozen like a deer in headlights.

"Dani, I don't…" Gamora began but was interrupted by Dani scrambling out of her seat, bolting for the other doorway across the room.

"Please, Dani. I'm so sorry!" She called after her retreating form. Gamora made to follow her but was halted by Peter, who was now blocking the doorway Dani just ran through. He shook his head slowly at the brunette.

"You need to give her some space."

Gamora crossed her arms tightly, looking even more ashamed. "I need to apologize. I behaved horribly towards her. I have to do something; I haven't been able to sleep."

Peter laughed sarcastically.

"All I'm hearing is 'I this, and I that'. This isn't about what you need, Gamora. She needs some time and distance. You could've killed her." Peter snapped, anger vibrating through him. Gamora took a step back, the heavy weight of his words hitting her like a ton of bricks, knowing that what he said was true. She kept her eyes downcast, unable to look anyone in the eye.

"Peter, I owe you an apology as well. I was ignorant towards you yesterday and you didn't deserve that. You were merely being honest about how you felt, and I snubbed you. I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" Gamora apologized, finally looking up at him.

"For that, yes. As far as I'm concerned, that's already water under the bridge. But that shit you pulled with Dani? I'm furious. I never thought in a million years that you of all people would be capable of that. She thinks of you as a friend and you used her as a punching bag."

Gamora didn't reply because it was true. There was nothing she could say or do. All she could do was wait and hope that Dani, at some point, would be willing to let her apologize.

"Not trying to interrupt the therapy session but we have a rescue mission that needs to be coordinated." Rocket spoke up.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Does everything you do end in gunfire?!" Dani screamed, throwing herself behind the dining room table that Peter had overturned for cover.

After doing some recon, the crew uncovered everything they needed to know about this Mr. Korvek. Turns out he is a co-owner of a large drilling company on Dorang. His home had been easy enough to find when you have a pocket full of units and a drunk, loose lipped foreman. After running surveillance on his mansion, they found their in, separating into two teams. One being Peter, Dani and Rocket. The other Drax, Gamora and Groot. They originally thought the inside had been cleared only to be hit with an ambush a few moments into their infiltration. A fight had erupted, separating Dani and Peter from the others. The inside of the man's mansion now resembled a war zone.

A smile broke out on Peter's face as he ducked back down beside her after firing a few shots.

"Only when things don't go as I plan!" He hollered back, checking the north side of the room.

"Well your plans suck! How have you survived this lifestyle so long?"

"Maybe it's because I'm so friendly and debonair?!"

Dani checked the other side of the room, ducking back down when a shot zoomed past her head, missing her face by inches.

"More like an equal amount of stupid and lucky!"

"Can we please bicker later? There's gotta be a sleeping quarters where the servants live. Maybe downstairs? Like a basement?" He called out, more to himself than to her. Dani scanned her memory, thinking over the quick look she had gotten of the first floor.

"I remember seeing a door near the kitchen with what looked like a fingerprint scanner. Maybe that's it?"

Peter nodded, turning to look at her.

"Ok, we're gonna make a run for it on the count of three. You ready?"

She shook her head, flinching when another shot splintered a chuck of the table above their heads, raining wooden debris down on them.

"Not at all."

"Too bad, Patrick, time to saddle up. Alright, one." He counted, taking a long pause to look over at Dani, silently praying it wasn't for the last time.

"Two."

A loud clang by their feet caught their attention, both of their eyes locating the source of the noise. It turned out to be a round metal ball rolling along the floor. Peter's face scrunched up in terror and he lunged forward, snatching it up.

"Grenade! Get down!" He screamed, throwing it back over their heads.

Dani didn't need told twice. She flung herself onto her stomach and covered her head with her arms. Something heavy landed hard on her back, momentarily stunning her until she caught a strong whiff of sandalwood and pine. Peter covered her body with his own and covered her ears, attempting to protect her from the blast that shook the room violently. The floorboards banged and the windows in the large room blew out from the concussive blast.

Peter rolled off her, groaning in pain from his ringing ears. Dani glanced over the shredded table, looking for a sign of any survivors. Peter's aim must've been spot on. All she could make out was a scorched blood splatter on the wall and she didn't dare look any closer than that. She scrambled to his side. Peter was clutching his head and staring at the ceiling in a daze.

"Peter, look at me. Can you hear me?" She called loudly, praying he could hear her.

"Peter, Baby, look at me. Can you hear me?" She cried out, worried that he may have damaged his ear drums from the blast. Dani lightly slapped his face to get him to look at her. He turned his eyes back to her, a stupid, dazed grin spreading across his face.

"You called me Baby."

Rolling her eyes, Dani huffed and pulled him into a sitting position. Peter gave his head a good shake, looking around the ruined room.

"I can't take you anywhere." She mumbled, picking her ray gun up off the floor.

The couple made their way to the kitchen, spotting the door that Dani had seen earlier. Peter popped the panel off the scanner, working on the wires. Footsteps echoed through the hall. Dani raised her gun quickly, the barrel mere inches from Gamora's face; Drax, Rocket and Groot in tow. She lowered her weapon, not taking her eyes off the other woman. She knew that Gamora wasn't going to try anything, but she was still nervous around her.

"I'm not going to attack you, Dani." Gamora said, knowing already what the other was thinking.

"Now's not the time you two. Got it." Peter short circuited the door, it popped open with a whirling noise. Weapons raised, they moved down some wooden stairs to a long hallway filled with individual cells. Unable to contain herself, Dani pushed her way forward past the others.

"Dani, wait!" Peter made a grab at her arm only to miss.

"Amelia! Amelia Mitchell, are you down here? Amelia!" Dani yelled as she ran down the hallway, checking between the bars of each cell, coming up empty so far.

"Dani?" A low, timid voice called from further down the hallway.

Running at full speed, Dani located the cell the voice called out from. She paused, grasping the bars to look inside. Her heart bounced up into her throat as she spotted a shock of familiar red hair first.

"Amelia!"

Dark blue eyes staring in disbelief, Amelia cried out, a sob ripping from her throat as she rushed forward. Dani reached through the bars, pulling her friend into an awkward embrace. Amelia pulled back, grasping her cheeks, both girls had tears streaming down their faces.

"I thought I would never see you again. Wait. How are you here? Is Terry ok? We were auctioned off separately." Amelia asked frantically, her dark blue eyes wild with fear and concern.

"We'll talk later after we get you out of here. We gotta go." Dani rushed, looking around the edge of the bars for a way to pry them out.

Drax stepped up beside of her, grasping the bars and looking through them to the astounded redhead.

"Move back, Friend of Dani." Amelia quickly obeyed, stumbling back to the other side of the cell.

Drax pulled hard, yelling in effort as he managed to yank the door completely off its hinges.

Dani snatched Amelia's hand, yanking her through the doorway.

"Wait! There are five others here beside me. They're good people, we can't leave them here." Amelia pleaded, pointing to a cluster of cells further down from hers.

"HEY! That's not part of the deal, Princess! We don't have room for that many more people." Rocket snapped. Amelia let out a yelp of surprise at Rocket's unannounced appearance.

"We can't leave them here. We can at least free them. There are plenty of small cities on this planet. They can figure out the rest for themselves." Gamora interjected, moving along to another cell. Peter nodded in agreement, moving to a nearby cell with a middle-aged man inside, blowing the lock off with his ray gun.

After freeing the other captives, the group boarded the Milano, which was parked near the mansion. Once on board, Rocket and Peter started the ship up and hauled ass off Dorang. Dani briefly thought about this Korvek guy and how surprised he would be when he returned to his mansion.

Dani fussed over Amelia, making sure that her friend was alright. The older woman had lost some weight, also appearing a little gaunt but was otherwise healthy enough. Amelia demanded to know if Dani had any news on Terry's situation. She did her best to fill her friend in what she knew about her brother's whereabouts. Amelia's face became paler as Dani went on before going silent all together. Seeing the current state of Amelia's appearance, Dani handed her some clothing and showed Amelia where the shower was.

Dani was sitting on her bed when Amelia returned quite a while later, freshly showered.

"My lord, I can't tell you how refreshing that was." Amelia said, appearing to be in slightly better spirits after a long shower. Dani climbed up, striding quickly across the room in a few bounds, snatching her friend up in a tight embrace. Amelia returned the embrace, a bittersweet smile gracing her face, the first one in longer than she could remember. A strangled sob tore from Dani's throat as she clung to her, burying her face into Amelia's wet hair as she clenched her eyes shut to stem the tears of joy that were threatening to fall as she tightened her arms around her shoulders.

"You scared the shit out of me, Mitchell." She rasped. A few tears escaped the redhead's eyes as she sniffled, releasing a shaky breath before responding.

"Like I did it on purpose, Patrick."

They pulled out of the embrace, Amelia holding Dani's face in her hands as the blonde placed her hands over top of Amelia's.

"Thank god for you, Dani and your friends. I had given up any hope of getting out of there.' Amelia whispered low, her eyes shining as she took in her friend's face. 'But how? You saved me. How's that possible? How did you do any of this?"

Before Dani could answer, a hesitant, slow knock echoed against the door. Stepping away, Dani pulled the door open, a slow smile pulling up the corners of her mouth. Peter stood in the hallway, his eyes watching her hesitantly as he held a tray of food in his hands.

"Hey."

"Hey you. I figured you both were hungry. I brought plenty. Also figured that the two of you needed some time to yourselves to catch up so I told the others to leave you be."

Dani's heart thumped joyfully at the sweet gesture. He was just so amazing sometimes. She took the tray from him.

"Thank you, Peter. That means a lot to me but come in for a few. I want you two to formally meet." She insisted, placing the tray on her dresser. He glanced nervously into the room, looking uneasy as he shoved his hands into his pants pockets.

"I can wait. You two need time to talk."

"Peter, get your leather clad ass in here." She snapped playfully, grabbing his arm and pulled him into her room. Amelia took a few tentative steps closer, her dark blue eyes glancing over Peter curiously.

"Well hello there, Tall, Tan and Muscular. I'm Amelia Mitchell. I have no idea who you are and what's going on here but thank you, nonetheless. I am indebted to you for rescuing me from that shit hole of a cell." The redhead said, extending her hand to shake his as she glanced between Dani and Peter.

Dani felt her spirits soar even higher. She had been worried about how badly damaged Amelia might be psychologically from her traumatic abduction. She seemed to still have her trademark iron will and sass intact. There was a reason why her friends back home called her 'The Unsinkable Amelia Mitchell'.

"You're welcome, Amelia, and we're squared. When Dani told me about what happened, I couldn't sit by and do nothing. I'm Peter, by the way, Peter Quill." He introduced himself as he returned her handshake. Amelia cocked her head to the side, staring curiously at him once again.

"Peter Quill? Why is that familiar? And how do you know Dani? There's no way she would've kept quiet to me about knowing such a hunk." She inquired, unabashed. Peter's face reddened. He had not expected Dani's friend to be so straight forward and flirty. He glanced awkwardly over to Dani.

"I, uh, well, that's a long story that I'm sure Dani is dying to explain, so I'll leave that to her. It was a pleasure to meet you, Amelia, but there's a few things I have to take care of.' He said, nodding towards her before turning to Dani. 'Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, I'll be right back." She said to Amelia, following Peter to the door.

"Ok, the pleasure's all mine, Handsome." Amelia called to him.

"What's up, Peter?" Dani asked when they reached the door.

He lowered his voice to a whisper, twirling one of his fingers up into one of Dani's curls subconsciously.

"We're running low on sleeping arrangements. The only place we have left for your friend is in here." Peter explained. Dani nodded, understanding the space issue.

"That's fine. Her and I will make it work." She replied. Peter paused, biting at his inner check before speaking again.

"If it's something you wouldn't mind, how about you stay in my room? It's bigger and it's not like we didn't sleep in the same bed last night." Peter offered. Despite the sweet gesture, Dani couldn't control her sarcastic tongue.

"Well, Peter Quill, I do declare! Are you asking me to move in with you so soon? What will the neighbors say? What kind of girl do you take me for?" She bantered in a scandalous Southern accent.

Peter glanced away briefly, biting the corner of his bottom lip, smiling and nodding his head in amusement. He knew she was teasing him. He looked back at her with that intense stare that made Dani's knees wobbly.

"The kinda girl that drives me crazy in an amazing way. The kind that I want to hold in my bed and see first thing when I wake up, insane bed hair included." Peter replied, nearly flooring Dani with his words. Her chest tightened as he gazed down at her, his finger still playfully toying with her blonde curl. She smiled widely up at him.

"There you go again." She whispered shakily. He raised an eyebrow quizzically at her.

"Oh, no you don't. Don't be coy with me. You know exactly what you are doing, saying such things so that I'm putty in your hands, Peter. One day, I'm gonna figure out a way to make you lightheaded and weak in the knees like you do to me." Dani promised, pointing a finger up at his face.

"Whose to say that you haven't already?"

She openly gaped at him; her mouth wide.

"See what I mean. What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Well, for starters, you can say yes." Peter offered, giving her chin a small squeeze with his thumb and index finger.

"I'll think about it." She half answered, feeling anxious suddenly about what his offer would mean. She wondered if maybe things were moving too fast between them. Hell, a month from now, she'll most likely be back on Earth and Peter would be lord knows where in the galaxy.

Peter, unaware of her troubled thoughts, nodded. He kissed her lightly on her forehead before heading out of the room. Dani stared longingly at the spot he had just vacated, her thoughts once again a jumbled mess. She turned back towards her bed, stopping abruptly upon seeing the look on Amelia's face. Her dark blue eyes were wide open in disbelief, her mouth gaping open as well.

(**Shit!** **The one time that Unsinkable is quiet, I forgot she was there.**)

Dani simply stared back at her, unsure of what even to say to what Amelia had witnessed.

The redhead raised a finger and pointed as she spoke.

"You. Sit. Bed. Now. Get talking."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani sat on her bed in silence, cross legged, wishing that her friend would just say something.

Anything.

Over the last hour, she fully explained everything that had occurred to Amelia. From Peter's disappearance in their childhood and his recent reappearance, everything that had happened since her abduction on Earth, Dani's journey, along with what had occurred on Alpha Bova. She evenly explained what was happening between Peter and herself, which was awkward all in its own right. By the time she had finished, Amelia was sitting cross legged in front of her on the bed, elbows on her knees, her hands tucked under her chin. She stared intently at Dani as though she was watching her favorite television program, thoroughly absorbed by Dani's every word.

"Wow." The redhead finally spoke.

"That's one word for it, I guess." Dani breathed out deeply, mentally burned out. Saying everything out loud made all of it that much more real for her.

"You've been through a lot, girl. Hell, I thought being kidnapped and forced into slavery sucked. So, what are you going to do about you and Peter?"

Dani didn't know how to answer that. Just thinking about returning to her life without Peter made her chest throb painfully in protest. The idea felt so very wrong to her, but she could never be so selfish to ask him to stay on Earth for her. This life he led was terrifying yet oddly exciting and Dani knew he loved it. It'd be like asking him to give up everything that made Peter so…Peter. Her head was starting to ache. Dani dropped her head into her hands, groaning.

"Oh god, Amelia. What am I even thinking? What am I going to do?" She whined, sounding pitiful to her own ears. She felt her friend lean forward, soothingly rubbing her back, tracing circles.

"Oh, my dear, sweet Dani. I'm going to tell you exactly what you need to do."

Dani raised her head, waiting for whatever pearl of wisdom she could get at this moment.

"You need to climb into that gorgeous man's bed and screw his brains out." Amelia responded calmly, as if stating what the weather was going to be tomorrow. Dani stared at her in disbelief, as though she just grew a second head.

"You gotta be kidding me. How in the hell is that suppose to help me figure this shit out?" Dani snapped.

Amelia pointed at her.

"My case in point, not at all. You have so much crap weighing you down that you can't think straight. Having an intense, passionate night with that man you are clearly crazy about, and who obviously is just as crazy about you, would be a great way to blow off some steam."

Dani laughed dryly at the line of thought.

"I asked what I should do. Not what you would do, skank." She teased.

"First off, eff you very much. Second, it's blatantly obvious that whatever is going on between you two, seems legit. I've only been around you two together for a few moments and, _my god_! The room was heavy with goo goo eyes and schoolgirl giggles. I have never seen you like that before with any guy ever, so that's saying a great deal right there. Its up to you crazy kids to make it work and that's not gonna happen unless you both come to an agreement on what you want from the other." Amelia explained, her hands moving wildly around as she spoke.

Dani stared dumbfounded at Amelia. Oddly enough, her words sort've made sense to her.

"That was strangely insightful." Dani complimented. Amelia merely shrugged, grabbing a grape off the tray she had been picking at.

"Meh, I have my moments. Now get out of here and go live a little, you uptight prude."

Dani smiled, shaking her head as she stood, gathering her stuff. She left behind some clothes and other accessories that she had bought for Amelia. The redhead's eyes followed her around the room, curiously.

"I said you should go rock his world tonight, not move into a house together. Geez, pay attention." She teased, picking at a few more grapes.

"He asked me to stay in his room so you can have some space and I want to. I'll be in Peter's room if you need me." Dani responded, pushing the strap of her bag up onto her shoulder as she gave the room a last once over.

"We're close but not that close. I'm not a voyeur…then again, he is very man yummy." Amelia added, smiling devilishly.

"Back off, bitch. I've been learning how to fight. Besides, I'm not having sex with him tonight."

Amelia rolled her eyes. "Ugh, why do I bother? You're hopeless, Daniella."

Dani smiled at her affectionately.

"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow." Dani said, pulling the door open.

"Dani." Amelia called out, sitting up in the bed. Dani leaned her head back around the door.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you, really, for everything. You're the little sister I never had. Or, at least the one I wouldn't have wanted to drown at birth. I love you, girl." She said, bringing a bright smile to Dani's face.

"I love you too, Amelia, get some sleep." Dani replied, pulling the door closed.

A moment later, Dani stood outside Peter's room, her fist raised in the air hesitantly as she willed herself to knock.

(**God, Dani. Sack up already! He invited you.**)

She knocked lightly, hoping that he wasn't already asleep. The door creaked open.

Peter, clad in a tight white tank top and matching boxer briefs, raised his eyebrows in surprise at seeing Dani loitering outside his door. She cleared her throat, her hands fidgeting with her bag's strap from nervousness.

"I hear you have a vacancy. Got room in there for me?" She asked, smiling anxiously up at him as she bobbed on the balls of her feet. Peter smirked, pulling the door open wider.

"For you? Always.' He replied, pulling her bag off her arm, throwing it over his. 'You'll have to squeeze in between the four other women I share a bed with though. Hope you don't mind?"

Dani snorted sarcastically as she entered his…scratch that, _their_ room.

"Ha ha ha, funny man. I swear, one of these…"

She was cut off by his arm quickly wrapping around her midsection, flipping her around to face him. Peter's mouth claimed her in a tender kiss that would have made her knees buckle if he hadn't been holding onto her so tightly. Dani wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him closer to her as she put all the emotion that she felt for Peter into that one kiss.

They pulled back slowly, Peter cupping her cheek with his hand as he ran his thumb along her cheek bone.

"Honestly, I wasn't sure if you were going to take me up on my offer. You like to leave me dangling." He confessed, his warm breath tickling her face as he spoke. They were only a few inches apart.

"I can't stay away from you. I already said it earlier when you were in my old room earlier, do you remember?" She asked, moving her face slowly up to his. Peter's eyes lit up in playful curiosity.

"And what was that?" He inquired, his low voice washing over Dani like liquid velvet.

Leaning up as far as she could reach, her lips brushed his as she whispered. "I'm putty in your hands, baby."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	13. Rock, Paper, Scissors

****_ATTENTION: MATURE CHAPTER AVAILABLE FOR THIS CHAPTER. PLEASE CHECK SISTER STORY OF 'WHEN HE'S NEEDED MOST-MATURE CHAPTERS TO MAIN STORY FOR MATURE RATED CHAPTER**_**

****Hello again, just wanted to thank everyone who has favorited/followed this story. It makes me happy to see that people are enjoying it. Please drop a review and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Rock, Paper, Scissors**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The following morning, Dani rolled over top of Peter, receiving a whine for the still half-asleep man as her weight jostled him. Climbing out of bed, Dani dug through her duffel bag she hadn't unpacked yet, searching for clothes so she could take a shower.

"If you're planning on showering, I call dibs first."

She glanced over her shoulder, surprised to see Peter already out of bed with a tank top and pants on; he was sliding into his boots.

"Is that so?" Dani playfully asked, backing up until she felt the door handle touch the palm of her hand.

"Dibs are meaningless if I get there first." She called, flinging the door open and charging down the hallway.

"That's cheating!" He hollered, his loud footsteps thundering closely behind her. Approaching the door, she smiled triumphantly until strong arms snatched her up and flung her around, turning Dani to face the other way she had just came from. She wiggled out of Peter's grip, frowning at him as his index finger bopped the bathroom door.

"As I said, dibs." He said, mockingly.

"Fine, you're faster than you look."

"I feel as though you're hinting that I'm fat. First you tell me last night that I have a bubble butt now you think that I'm slow moving?"

Dani rolled her eyes at him.

"You're definitely not fat. I just thought I was lighter on my feet and you have a great butt. I like a guy with some junk in his trunk."

Peter smiled at the compliment but pushed his finger back against the door.

"Flattery doesn't trump dibs."

A thought struck her.

"Okay, how about we settle this like men?" Dani suggested, fixing her gaze on him as she balled her fist up in preparation of a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Peter busted into laughter.

"Really? You're for real?"

Dani continued to stare at him intently, raising an eyebrow at him in challenge.

"Unless you're scared, _Star Lord_. Or should I say chicken shit?" She teased, baiting him on. He laughed once more, bringing his hands up to mimic hers.

"If you insist, I'm going to enjoy beating that ass." Peter stated. A suggestive smirk pulled at her lips at his comment, getting him to release a huff.

"You know what I meant, perv. Best out of five?"

Four hands later, the couple was tied two for two.

"This is getting intense, Quill. We should up the ante."

Peter would be lying if he said he wasn't intrigued at the suggestion. "Okay, I'll bite. What do you have in mind?"

"If I win this next hand, when all of this is done, our mission, you have to take me out on a date. I don't care where as long as we get off this ship for a while." Dani requested, not seeing any harm in the suggestion.

Her words, however, crashed heavily down on Peter, shattering the happy illusion of the blissful ignorance that they had built on since their night of laying in bed, snuggling and bantering nonsense to one another. He made a sad realization.

Their rescue mission was nearly halfway over.

After Dani had her brother back, she would surely be ready to return to Earth. The thought of her leaving made Peter's stomach churn violently, the thought being pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on the now, being with Dani. In the short time Dani had been back in his life, he had a hard time remembering what it was like not having her around. Sure, his friends on his ships were now like family to Peter but Dani was something else entirely. She was his oldest friend, still was his best friend despite the years of separation between them; she had been such an impact on his life from a young age.

His brain flickered through long suppressed memories of his childhood after his abduction. When he was picked up by Yondu, even though Peter was heartbroken from the loss of his mother, he would lie awake on his tiny cot at night, thinking about his friend. About what she was doing, if she was okay, if she still thought of him as the days rolled into months then becoming years. Peter had promised her all those years ago that day in the treehouse after the fight with the bullies, that he would always protect her, be there for Dani and he hadn't. Memories of his Dani had helped him survive, lifting some of the burden of his abduction. He had allowed her to fade from his mind over time if only to lessen his guilt about not returning to her sooner.

Peter lowered his hands slowly, fully taking in the sight of his Dani. The young, blonde girl in curly pigtails he had known as a child had grown into an amazing, funny strong woman. A woman who made him laugh, a woman that had no reservations on calling Peter out on his bullshit, which even he had to admit there was a lot to remark upon. The woman that Peter was falling hard for.

"Peter?"

Resolve coursing through him, Peter closed the distance between them. His hands forcibly cupped Dani's face as he desperately kissed her, his soul crying out to be closer to her. His mouth moved against hers, every part of him never wanted her to leave his side.

Dani was taken back by Peter's shift in demeanor. Her eyes widen as he grasped at her, his mouth claiming hers as if he was running out of oxygen and she was air. There was something primal in his kiss, causing her to melt into him, not wanting to stop. Dani forced herself to pull away first, needing actual air.

"What do you want if you win?" She asked breathily, her exhale of air tickling his wet lips, not realizing that her innocent question held a double meaning for Peter. He answered without hesitation, his dominant impulsive nature winning out.

"I want you to stay with me."

A gasp caught in Dani's throat. There was no way he meant what he was saying.

"Peter…"

"I mean it, Dani. When this is all said and done, stay with me. There's so much of this universe I want to show you. There's still so much I haven't seen, and I want you to see it with me." He confessed.

She didn't know what to say to that request. Her mind had been consumed with all the what ifs and possible scenarios, trying to figure out what they were and what was to become of them. She hadn't entertained the notion that Peter would want her to leave behind her life on Earth. With her parents gone, the only people tying her to Earth was Amelia and Terry.

Could she really leave behind her brother and best friend, who was like a sister, to run off for the stars with a man Dani hadn't seen in over 25 years?

(**When did my life turn into a damn romance novel?**)

The feeling of Peter's warm arms tightening around her brought Dani back to the matter at hand.

"Peter, I don't know what to say."

He nodded, know what he asked of her was massive. "Okay, scratch that. How about you at least think about it? How's that?" He negotiated.

Peter moved back, raising his hands for another match. She momentarily stared stupidly at him, forgetting what had started all of this.

"Oh, right. Most heavy game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ever. Next hand calls it."

Peter nodded. "One…Two…Three."

They both played rock.

"Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Again. One…Two…Three."

Rocks again, then papers, then rocks again.

"Oh, come one!' Peter snapped, annoyed. 'I'm requesting a side bar."

Giggling, Dani nodded, lowering her hands. "Granted."

"Why don't I take you out on a date and you give me an answer when the date is over? That way you have time to think and I have plenty of time to woo the pants off you."

"Sounds fair but honestly, Peter. I don't know if I'm cut out for this life you lead. I have nothing to offer to your crew." Dani admitted, voicing a now growing concern of hers. Peter scoffed at her comment.

"Just waking up to your smiling face is all that I require."

"Peter, your cheesiness is showing.' She teased. 'Alright, what about the shower?"

Peter gave her a sexy smile. "Why don't you join me? To save on hot water, of course."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I know how your mind works, perv. I doubt we'd be saving any. I forgot to grab my clothes when I made my Olympic sprint here, so you go ahead."

"If you're sure." Peter said, placing a kiss on her forehead before heading into the bathroom.

Dani hightailed it back to their room, kicking off her sneakers and launching herself into their bed. She sat up, tucking her knees under her chin and wrapping her arms around them. Peter's proposition had shaken her to the core. Excitement and uncertainty bubbled up inside, making her lightheaded.

In the quiet room, Dani allowed herself to fantasize about staying onboard the Milano with her new friends, with Peter. Contemplating spending whatever time she had left in this life by Peter's side, exploring the universe, never knowing what each new day brought. Normally, the prospect of living so dangerously would've scared the hell out of her but for some reason, it didn't anymore. Peter and the others were leading fast paced, not to mention, unorthodox lives and Dani now felt it in her bones that she craved the same.

Dani was changing, her outlook even her demeanor. As of physically speaking, her sparring session with Gamora left her with cuts, scrapes and bruises on the outside. But inside, she felt herself becoming stronger…

(**Gamora…**)

Now that was a situation Dani really didn't know how to handle. She knew that Gamora was just a person, a woman that was rejected by the man she was falling in love with. Dani couldn't fault her for that.

But to attack Dani?

Her mind drifted back to what Peter had told her about Gamora's upbringing Her family had been slaughtered, along with half of her planet when she was a child and was raised by the egomaniac responsible for her plight. To be molded into a living weapon. Not to be ignorant but that would emotionally stunt anyone and to be honest, Dani was already missing her new friend terribly. Making it a point, Dani resolved herself that she needed to at least have a discussion with Gamora when she got a chance. When she did decide to stay, the two women would need to clear the air in order to co-exist with each other.

(_**If**_** she decided to stay, not **_**when**_**.**)

Her thoughts returned to the matter at hand. Dani wasn't naïve, she could put two and two together, coming to conclusion that the close-knit crew were basically muscle for hire. She had once overheard Drax and Peter talking, the second mentioning something along the lines about how they were the 'Guardians of the Galaxy', whatever that meant. Dani assumed it was just a title they adopted, another code name like Star Lord for Peter.

Thinking of their operation, she balked, knowing that she had no real discernable skills that would serve as an asset to them. For once, Drax was a helluva fighter and super strong to boot. Gamora was a fighter as well as knowledgeable about damn near everything. Rocket was very tech savvy, he reminded Dani of a furry smartass version of MacGyver. And Groot, well, she didn't know a lot about him. Dani had asked about him one day out of curiosity, the recent memory playing back in her mind.

_Everyone was sitting around the table, having dinner the evening after they had the tussle with the Kree spacecraft. Dani gingerly picked at her food, the deep ache in her side making it hard to her to swallow. Whatever they were having had the taste and consistency of bad meatloaf; Dani silently wished for a cheeseburger to appear out of thin air._

_Something bumped her arm, pulling her away from her meal. Groot was on the table, moving himself next to her plate. He had a small, makeshift metal welded table and chair set that was too adorable for words. He scooted closer, retaking his seat then looked up at her._

"_I Am Groot." He said before pulling his tiny plate towards him and commenced eating his dinner. Dani's heart clenched; the sight was too cute._

"_He said that you're forgiven for kicking him and that you smell nice tonight." Drax translated for her. Dani's gaze fixated on him; confusion etched into her features._

"_I smell nice?"_

"_I Am Groot."_

_Drax spoke up again. "Yes, he said you were sweaty and smelled bad earlier when you saved him and that you don't anymore._

_Dani nodded, turning to look back down at Groot. "Oh ok, I thought maybe there was a communication breakdown somewhere. Thank you, Groot. I had been dancing earlier but I showered since then."_

_Drax looked up at her from his own plate._

"_So, I can assume that dancing is a big ordeal on your planet as well?" He asked, catching Dani off guard by the random question._

"_Uh, yeah. A lot of people dance on Earth, some for business and some for pleasure. I do it for both, I love to dance. I own my own business and I'm a professional dancer." Dani shared a little more about herself._

"_So, you are a…." Drax paused, thinking then turned to Peter. 'Quill, what was the term you used for such individuals and the establishments? You told me before about how popular they are on Earth?"_

_Peter glanced up from his dinner, his face scrunching up as he thought back on what the heck Drax was talking about, not remembering the discussion._

_Rocket snorted softly to himself as he pushed his plate away._

"_Oh, it's the little things in life." He muttered loud enough for them to hear as he leaned his face forward onto his propped-up arms. His attention was solely focused on the conversation as he snickered quietly to himself._

_Realization dawned on Peter, his face going slack then turning a sickly white as the colored drained out, his next words rushing out of him._

"_Drax, I'll say this once. I have no idea what you're talking about. I told you before that Dani is a dance instructor and she owns her own DANCING studio."_

_Drax waved his hands adamantly, shaking his head. "No, this was a while back before you returned to Earth and we've talked about them recently, remember? It's an establishment that men from your planet go where they pay women to remove their clothes and dance provocatively on them."_

_Dani's head shot up, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. Her fork clattering loudly to the table._

"_I'M NOT A STRIPPER!" She damn near yelled, clearly offended by the statement. Rocket burst into hysterics, laughing so hard that he fell out of his chair. Peter's eyes widened at the social faux pas._

"_Drax, you can't say stuff like that. That is something completely different."_

_The grey man's eyes widened happily, remembering their discussion now._

"_Strippers. That's what you called them.' His head turned to Dani. 'Is that what people really refer to you as?" Dani's face went redder with anger, as though that was possible._

"_Drax, for the love of god, stop!" Peter begged, thoroughly embarrassed. Fury boiled up inside of Dani's chest._

"_Did you tell them I'm a stripper?" She snapped at Peter, her fists clenching the edge of the table so she wouldn't launch herself at him and possibly damage his handsome face. Peter's mouth opened in shock._

"_Of course, not. I would never say such a thing."_

"_Then tell me why he associated what I do with pole dancing if you didn't make such a remark?" She demanded, her voice wobbling with barely bridled emotion. Peter fumbled for an explanation._

"_I don't know why he said that. This is Drax we're talking about here." He defended himself._

"_Actually, I remember the conversation clearly now. Quill did mention that you're a dancer. I asked if you were a stripper, having remembered a conversation we had long ago about such dancers. He said no and asked me not to say such a thing to you…and as I'm speaking out loud right now, I obviously forgot about him asking me not to say anything.' Drax rambled off, feeling foolish for causing such an argument. 'Sorry."_

_Dani kept her gaze locked on Peter's face as Drax explained, trying to detect any falseness. Peter's expression remained honest, allowing Dani to calm down and try to drop the issue._

"_That's ok, Drax. Just a misunderstanding. I'm sorry for snapping, Peter." She said as she picked her fork up, silently mean mugging Rocket. The raccoon had finally calmed down and picked himself off the floor, wiping his eyes as he climbed back into his chair. _

_Peter breathed a sigh of relief, happy now that the heated moment had passed but worried still that Drax would end up going into more detail about that conversation._

"_Great. Now that the horrifyingly awkward conversation is over, I'm all for eating in silence." Peter suggested, turning his attention back to his meal. The twenty seconds of silence was shattered by Drax's deep voice._

"_If it's any consolation, Dani…"_

"_Oh god, just kill me now." Peter mumbled in defeat, tossing his fork obnoxiously up onto the table, leaning back in his chair for what he already knew was coming._

"…_Quill did say that if you were a stripper, you'd be a successful one and that he would be a very broke man. I assumed that he meant that he would like very much to see you dancing with no clothes—"_

_Rocket was back on the floor in record time._

"_Ok! I get what you're trying to say, Drax." Dani stuttered as she stared pointedly at her lap, her face burning. She slowly lifted her eyes up to look at Peter. He was leaning back in his chair, his wide eyes locked on the tabletop, his jaw grinding as his face turned a horrific shade of red. It appeared that he was fighting the urge to completely go off on Drax. His gaze met Dani's briefly before looking away in embarrassment. He leapt up from the table, snatching his unfinished dinner plate._

"_If everyone doesn't mind, I've lost my appetite. I feel the sudden need to go open a vein and pray for a quick death." Peter mumbled, barely coherent. He threw his plate into the sink and stormed out of the room, nearly barreling into Gamora. He brushed past her, not saying anything. _

"_Did I miss something?"_

_Dani quickly spoke up before the others could._

"_His stomach is bothering him. So, Gamora, I have a few questions about Groot if you don't mind. How did you guys meet? How is it that you understand him?" She rambled off the first thing that came to mind as fast and as loud as she could. Gamora grabbed a clean plate and helped herself to some food._

"_Oh, that's easy. I'd say it's like waiting for a toddler to begin speaking. When you are around him long enough, you'll sort of tune into his frequency, I guess. You'll begin to be able to make out a few slurred words. Over time, you'll be able to understand him completely. Think of it as cleaning a mirror caked in grime. The more time you spend polishing the glass, the clearer it becomes, revealing itself." She explained, sitting in Peter's abandoned seat._

"_Wow, that makes a lot of sense. How did you come by him?" _

_Gamora swallowed her bite. "He was already travelling with Rocket when we met on Xandar. They were attempting to collect a bounty on Peter. We all ended up in prison together."_

"_The Kyln. I remember Peter telling me about it."_

"_Fun times, I assure you. They protected him in there with Groot as the muscle and Rocket the brains.' Gamora paused her explanation when she noticed Dani's confused face. 'What is it?"_

_Dani moved her gaze down to Groot, who was sneakily extending his little branch arms to snag a bite of pasta off Dani's plate._

"_Muscle? Seriously? He's a few inches tall."_

_Gamora's delicate eyebrows lifted in realization. "Oh, you don't know. Well, this is gonna be a little weird."_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	14. Can't We All Just Get Along?

****Hey everyone, I am SO sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. We are so short staffed at work that I'm pulling 70 hour work weeks so I haven't had the time to get this typed out. Hopefully I can get the next chapter posted tomorrow. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Fourteen: Can't We All Just Get Along**

**Warning: Bad Words Abound**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

The crew of the Milano, sans Amelia who was still recuperating in her room, were gathered discussing the blueprints of the stadium on Zakkar that Terry was being held. The blueprints that Rocket had 'Borrowed' were extremely detailed. Peter stood up in front of the glass monitor screen that had small page windows pulled up separately, depicting different areas of the arena. While Peter and Rocket bickered over something that Dani had not been paying attention to, she however had focused in on one small part of the map that had her full attention.

Dani leaned forward in her seat, eyes glued to the screen. She was up and out of her chair before she knew it. She stepped around the table, fixated on one tiny spot of the blueprint that caught her attention. Peter stared at her curiously, slightly confused when she stopped next to him, her eyes never leaving the screen.

"You see something?" He inquired, wondering if she had seen something that they had missed.

"May I?" She held a finger up to the screen. Peter waved a hand in acknowledgment.

"Be my guest." A loud snort resounded behind her.

"This ought to be good." Rocket chided.

Ignoring him, she moved her fingertips in unison along the screen, enhancing what appeared to be a small pipe that ran from the lower level out to what she thought was a pond. Her eyes studied the structure carefully.

"You want to clue the rest of the class in, Princess?" Rocket asked, his tone conveying boredom. Dani continually ignored him, speaking to Peter and the others.

"These red lines are electrical lines and the purple lines indicate where their security system ties in with the wiring, right?" She inquired, her fingers zooming in on one spot.

"Yes." Peter responded absently as he studied the spot she was fixating on, his brain piecing together where she was going with this.

"Bear with me here, I think this maybe what I think it is. There's a small drain that runs along below that bottom level that empties into a pond, like a runoff. Halfway up the drain, if you can drill through it, that appears to be an electrical box that ties in with the sensors that controls the power in the level above it. You should be able to access that and rewire the door. There's more than enough brilliant minds in this room with your crew where someone should be capable of that." Dani explained, hoping that it was really going to be that easy.

Intrigued, Rocket leapt up onto the table to get a closer look. "Yeah, that could work. This pipe drain is gonna be a tight squeeze though, even for me."

"Well, I guess you're gonna need to lay off the sweets because this might work." Peter shot back, his eyes glued to the screens as he swiped, following the lines to ensure if Dani's idea could work. Satisfied, he glanced over to her.

"Well, well, look at you, Master Strategist. You have a good eye. And to think that you said you had nothing to contribute." Peter complimented her, sneaking his hand into hers to give it a light squeeze.

"Don't be so sure. I'm positive someone else much smarter would've noticed it at any moment if I hadn't."

"Someone brilliant did, stop being so modest." He smiled at her, unconsciously tucking a stray curl that had escaped her French braid, behind her ear. Dani's mind betrayed her when she looked at his fingers, flashing memories of what those same fingers were doing to her that same morning. Cheeks burning, she locked her gaze with his, flushing more when she was greeted with Peter's knowing smile, his own eyes sparkling mischievously at her.

Dani caught Gamora shifting uncomfortably out of the corner of her eye, looking away from the two of them. Remembering they weren't alone, Dani hastily took a steady step back, bumping into the table. A loud exasperated sigh filled the room.

"That's it! I can't take this anymore. We need to clear the air and have a group discussion about the love birds here." Rocket exclaimed as he moved to the center of the table, drawing everyone's eyes to him. Dani gulped, not sure what had brought this topic up. It was no secret; Rocket wasn't her biggest fan even though she had done nothing to bring about his constant sarcastic comments.

"What are you yammering on about?" Drax demanded.

"I am so over having to watch Quill and Princess drooling over each other. Their double meaning conversations, not to mention, having to listen to their 'bedroom activities' like I had to endure this morning. It's impossible being around them when they're in the same room. It's like being around a couple of angst ridden, hormonally charged teenage hummies." He vented, obviously bottling his feelings up for quite a while. His words, however, only served to piss Peter off while Dani forcibly locked her gaze to the floor, willing herself to remain calm. Her chest tightened in anger as her hands began to shake uncontrollably.

"I don't see how anything we do is your concern or your business, Rocket." Peter growled at the raccoon; his voice surprisingly steady.

"It becomes my business when I can't sleep because you two are doing things I don't wanna know about, much less hear, to each other. It's disgusting." He vehemently pointed at Dani and Peter.

Peter opened his mouth to speak was interrupted.

"Besides, what are you two even thinking anyway? If we survive Zakkar, she'll have her big bro back in a few days and will be back on Earth a few after that. Then, she won't need you anymore, Quill. Getting to my point, if this is strictly a physical thing, just get it over with already. I can't walk into a room that hasn't been hosed down with pheromones."

Dani's hands clenched tightly into fists by her sides, exercising every shred of self-restraint within her to not punch him in his stupid furry face. She did take a few aggressive steps towards him though.

"What's your problem with me? Moving aside your deep-rooted mistrust for everyone and your anger issues, you've had it out for me since we first met! And don't you dare say its because I kicked Groot. He forgave me and it was an accident." She demanded, pointing a finger accusingly at Rocket. The woman and the raccoon were standing close together, each firmly holding their ground in an intense stare/scowl off.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Princess." He snapped. Her anger flared that much more at hearing the nickname he gave her.

"Stop calling me Princess! If anything, Peter and I shouldn't have to defend or explain our actions, we're two consenting adults."

Rocket raised a condescending eyebrow.

"No, please, do explain whatever this is. Heaven knows I can't make any sense of your pairing. Daniella Patrick, heiress hummie to a massive fortune, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Who is also what other hummies find to be attractive and well learned. How does someone like that supposedly find herself attracted to our slack jawed, bad tempered moron of a captain who also has questionable hygiene issues to boot? And yes, Quill, I've been in the bathroom after you, I know what I'm talking about." Rocket added when Peter began to stutter, indignation causing him to trip over his words.

"I can't shake the feeling that _Princess_ is up to something is—"

Dani, furious beyond control, open palm slapped Rocket in his long snout, catching him by surprise.

"You ever think that maybe Peter is absolutely amazing and I'm falling in love with him!" She blurted, her voice wobbling with fury.

Rocket turned back to face her slowly, his dark eyes sparking maliciously as he growled low. Peter shoved Dani back, placing himself between the two arguing. Drax and Gamora bolted out of their chairs, moving around the table in case things became anymore heated. Rocket's eyes bounced between his friends, he felt betrayed.

"What the hell guys? You're choosing her side? She is basically a visiting stranger, a client. She'll be gone in a week. And you…' He pointed an accusing finger at Gamora. 'Little Miss Goldilocks swoops in, bats her eyelashes and snatches Quill up in her talons and now you're sticking up for her? We all know that there was something growing between you and Quill until Her Highness came into the picture."

Rocket's words struck a deep chord inside of Gamora. She hesitantly looked back at Dani and Peter, both unaware of her gaze. Peter stood in front of Dani, one arm out in front of himself raised in warning to Rocket while his other blindly wrapped backwards around Dani's side, pulling her protectively up against his back. He was having a hell of a time keeping her there though. She wriggled in his grasp, trying to get out of his hold.

"Let me go, Peter! He doesn't get to talk about you like that!" The blonde snapped, nearly climbing onto his back in an attempt to get at Rocket. Gamora found the sight oddly endearing, despite the harsh reality of Rocket's words about the headache inducing love triangle they were sucked into.

If she was just using Peter to get her family back and didn't care about him or any of them for that matter, she wouldn't be trying to mountain climb over Peter like a cat to get to Rocket. To defend his honor, for the lack of a better term. Gamora felt strangely proud of her estranged friend at this moment.

"He wasn't mine to steal away, Rocket. As she said, they are adults who make their own choices. I'm not going to spend my life being mean and bitter to my friends, my family."

Dani stopped fighting against Peter's grip, her green eyes snapping over to Gamora. A think lump of emotion lodged itself in her throat at Gamora's words. Peter glanced at her as well, giving Gamora a small smile before turning his attention back to Rocket.

"Unless Drax shares your opinions, Rocket, it would seem to me that you need to stop being such an asshat and apologize to Dani." He said, drawing an offended scoff out of the raccoon.

"I'd rather be shot, stuffed and mounted on some Earth redneck's mantle than apologize for the way I feel." He snapped.

"Since my feelings clearly don't matter more than a hill of beans around here, why doesn't Princess just join our crew, too? Her ability to get the shit kicked out of her all the time and her homewrecker expertise would prove invaluable to the Guardians of the Galaxy." Rocket snickered sarcastically.

Dani clamped tightly onto the back of Peter's shirt, praying that he would get the hint not to say what she knew he would end up saying regardless.

"I already asked her to stay. It's her decision and since the Milano is my ship, I'm not going to allow anyone to influence her decision. So, stop being a dill hole, dude." Peter said firmly.

Rocket's eyes widened, taken back.

"You must be joking. She's useless. That's the final straw. If Princess stays, I'm outta here. I'm not going to live on the Love Boat and deal with this soap opera B.S." He bellowed, his arms swinging wildly as he spoke.

His ultimatum hung heavy in the room; the very air felt like it had been vacuumed out.

"You really mean that? All because Peter, your friend, found someone who makes him happy?" Gamora asked in disbelief. Rocket shifted, clearly uncomfortable with what she had said.

"I mean it. I can't live like this forever."

Peter clenched his jaw, anger and hurt coursing through him.

"If that's really how you feel than maybe you need to leave no matter what she chooses to do." Peter replied flatly causing Rocket's eyes to go wide.

Guilt washed over Dani; she was tearing Peter's small unique family apart.

"Peter, please don't—"

"There's no need to defend me, Yoko. Looks like John here made up his mind to break up the band all for some skirt." He hopped off the table, looking up at Peter in defiance.

"If that's the way its going to be, that's fine with me. After I get my cut from the job, I'll be out of your hair." Rocket said with a note of conviction in his voice. With that said, he turned and left the room.

"That was an extremely awkward and uncomfortable moment.' Drax said, breaking the silence. 'If we are done here, I have a pressing matter to attend to. I need to see if Uncle Jesse is really moving out of the house and what those Tanner girls are planning to do about it. I need closure."

He left the room as well.

Peter turned to look at Dani. "Full House, right?"

She numbly nodded, rubbing her now aching head. She glanced around the nearly empty room, guilt gnawing at her. Her gaze landed on Gamora.

"Gamora…" She paused, not sure how to say what was on her mind. Gamora raised her hand to quiet her.

"I should make my exit as well. Sounds like there's a lot for the two of you to discuss." She said, moving around them and making her way to the door. Dani went after her, grabbing onto her arm. Gamora stopped, turning back around. Dani flung her arms around her shoulders, hugging her. Gamora stiffened, not expecting the overly friend gesture.

"Thank you for what you said. For sticking up for Peter. That means more than I could ever say."

Gamora loosened up, raising her arms and lightly hugged her back.

"I didn't say what I did just for him." She replied meaningfully. Dani tightened her hold, relief flooding her. It felt good to have her friend back on her side. They pulled back, Gamora gently rubbed Dani's arm affectionately.

"We'll talk later." She said quietly. She nodded to Peter then turned, making her exit. Gamora would never admit it but the whole argument had shaken her, and she needed to collect herself.

Dani stared after her, thinking about how such a wonderful morning had turned in to such a shit evening.

"Well, that didn't go exactly as planned." Peter's voice pulling her back from her thoughts. She smiled obnoxiously as she turned back to him.

"There you go planning again. At least it didn't end in gunfire.' Her smile was short lived. 'Listen, Peter. About all that just—"

"Dani, don't. I already know what you are going to say. How this is all your fault and that I'm being an ass. Well, Rocket's the one being an ass. He made his own bed. He shouldn't have said what he said about you." He said adamantly.

"Well, he is right, at least partially."

Peter had been closing out the screen for the blueprints but paused upon hearing her. He slowly turned to her in disbelief.

"What?"

Dani contemplated her words carefully.

"If I had listened to you from the start and stayed on Earth while you went on this rescue mission, you and Gamora would've ended up together, I think. All I ever do is screw shit up. We don't make sense but you two do and my god, I am a homewrecker!" Dani muttered in defeat, plopping back into a chair, cursing herself. Rocket was being an ass, but he did have some valid points. Most of what he had said, she had been agonizing over herself.

Peter knelt in front of her, pulling her chin up to look at him.

"You are not a homewrecker. It's true that I did have feelings for Gamora, but they pale in comparison to the way I feel for you. With her, yeah, it was new and exciting, but you make me feel complete, Daniella Patrick. You feel like home. I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. So, don't let him drag you down. He's like the raccoon version of a grumpy old man that yells at kids to stay off his lawn." Peter said, resting his hands on her knees.

She only nodded, her mind still buzzing with her dark thoughts.

"Seriously, Dani, don't beat yourself up. Rocket put himself in this position. It's not your fault." He rubbed her knees, trying to soothe her. She knew that he was right, but she couldn't calm her mind. She cares deeply for him, so much and all she had to offer was the beginning destruction of the life he had built for himself. Maybe it would be better for everyone if she didn't stay. This was just too much for her to handle right now.

"I'm sorry but I need a few minutes to clear my head. I think its best if I'm alone right now."

"I'm not going to leave you alone to wallow in misery and beat yourself up even more." He stated firmly, standing up in front of her.

The truth of the matter was that panic had begun to settle in Peter's chest, worried that Rocket's uncalled for words were already affecting her decision to stay. He didn't want to crowd her, but he was honestly afraid that she might make a rash decision out of guilt.

"I mean it, Peter. My head feels like its about to explode and I can't think clearly when you are near me. Please." She asked earnestly, rubbing her head in emphasis. She really did need more space than anything so she could think. She glanced up at him to argue her point but stopped, feeling even more horrible upon seeing the rejected expression on his face. He slowly back up.

"If you don't want me here, well, ok. I'm, uh, I'm headed to bed, been a long day." He mumbled dejectedly, trying in vain to not show how hurt he was by her pushing him away as he turned to leave.

"Peter, wait. I didn't mean it that way—"

Peter's steps faltered before he swung back around, his gaze watery. She shot up out of the chair to place her hand on his chest, but he dodged her.

"I get that you have a lot going on right now but that doesn't give you the right to push me away. We're suppose to be there for each other when one needs comfort. But I suppose that you wouldn't understand that since none of your relationships ever last longer than a fortnight."

Dani stepped back, stung by his harsh words. Peter witnessed her reaction, but he had already gone too far; his anger from earlier now coursing through him again.

"Rocket's leaving because I made the choice of wanting you in my life! He may be a dick sometimes but he's like family to me." He snapped, pointing his finger towards himself.

"I thought you said that this wasn't about me, that he made his own choices!" She yelled back. His words had stung her already fragile state. She didn't understand how they even started fighting to begin with.

Peter lifted his arms up, holding his head in his heads and took a calming breath. This wasn't her fault and he knew he was being petty, but he couldn't control his tongue. He was upset about the position that Rocket had put him in, put all of them in and here he was, taking his frustrations out on her.

"You're right. I'm being a dick too, now. I'll leave you to your thoughts." He said stoically, taking off out of the room.

Plopping back into her chair, Dani stared pitifully at the grates of the floor, her mind a chaotic mess. She sat there for a while, trying to figure out what she could to make everything okay again. Something brushed her leg, startling her out of her musings.

Looking down, she watched Groot climb up her pant leg and onto her lap, staring up at her widely. She tried to smile down at him but failed miserably.

"Hey Little Guy., Sorry you had to hear all that." She apologized, brushing a finger tenderly against his wooden cheek.

"I Am Groot."

She chuckled humorlessly.

"I wish I could say that I'm gonna be around long enough to finally be able to understand you."

"I Am Groot."

"Do you think Rocket's actually going to leave?" She questioned absently, knowing she wasn't going to understand him anyway. She was merely filling the silence.

He shook his head no.

"Well, I hope you're right, Groot. I've made enough of a mess here. What do you think I should do?" Groot stared up at her as if he was saying 'Really?'

"Right. We'll settle on yes and no questions. Do you think I should stay?"

He nodded.

"Thanks, Little Guy. That means a lot to me. So, you don't think I'm in the way?"

Groot shook his head in denial.

"That's a relief. I guess you actually like having me around." He nodded again, wrapping his little arms around her elbow in a hug. Dani finally smiled genuinely at the affectionate gesture.

"I like being here with you guys, too. Looks like I'm going to need to make up my mind soon."

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

Dani stayed up much longer than she had anticipated, feeling restless from the day's events. She spent quite a while studying the stadium layout, finding any feasible access points for them to infiltrate undetected. She now stood outside of her and Peter's room, hovering in front of the closed door, willing herself to stop being such a puss and go inside.

Finally working up her nerve, she opened the door as quietly as she could, trying to be as silent as possible in case Peter was asleep. She peeked her head inside, spotting his prone figure laying in bed, turned away from the door, his bedside lamp still on. She snuck into the room and opened her drawer of the dresser to grab some pajamas. She had her jeans halfway down when his voice floated over her.

"You don't need to sneak in as though you just broke curfew, you know."

Pulling her jeans off completely, Dani turned to face him. He had rolled over, his face alert which told her he hadn't slept yet.

"I didn't want to wake you. I was studying the blueprints for any vulnerabilities." She replied, ignoring his eyes wandering her body as she changed.

"That's good. Find anything useful?"

She nodded, walking over to the bed, stopping to browse her iPod.

"Yeah, I have a few ideas I want to run past you but not tonight." She said.

After clicking on the song, she was looking for, she placed the player back on the dock, turning to look down at him. A surprised smirk crossed his face as the opening piano strokes of Willie Nelson's 'Always on My Mind' softly filled the room.

_Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could have_

_Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should have_

_If I make you feel second best, I'm so sorry I was blind_

_You were always on my mind_

Dani kneeled next to the bed, her eyes never leaving his.

"Dani, there's no need—" She pressed her finger to his lips.

"Shush. I'm letting Willie do the talking for me right now since I never say it right." She whispered, leaning forward, pressing her lips gently to his. He met her halfway, wrapping his hand up in her hair, pulling her close.

_I'm so happy that you're mine_

_Little things I should have said and done_

_I just never took the time_

_You were always on my mind_

_You were always on my mind_

Peter wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her into bed next to him. They held each other close, each tender kiss wiping away the hurtful words they spoke to each other earlier. Peter pulled back first, breathing out a deep sigh of relief. He gently kissed her forehead deeply, pulling away so Dani could rest her cheek on his bare chest.

"ForWhatItsWorthIWasAJerkAndI'mSorry." He blurted out quickly, causing Dani to chuckle.

"Alright then. Not that I understood a word of that garbled mess."

"I said for what it's worth, I was a jerk and I'm sorry. I needed to say that so I said it at a speed that you couldn't interrupt me."

Dani didn't reply, simply pulling strength from his embrace. Peter suddenly snickered quietly to himself, causing her head to bob up and down.

"What?" Peter's chuckle died off, leaving a cheesy grin on his face.

"So, our first fight. I can think of the perfect way to make up."

Dani rolled her eyes.

"No, horn dog. Not in the mood as well as not wanting to take your virginity right now." She joked, receiving only an obnoxious scoff in return. The auto shuffle kicked on, changing the song to The Spinners 'Could It Be I'm Falling in Love' now played. Another small chuckle followed by Peter's humming vibrated through him.

"So…" He said, leaving the word hanging open ended. She opened her eyes; something told her that there was something on his mind.

"Yes, Peter?" She felt him toying with one of her curls, an indication that there was something on his mind.

"Did you mean what you said earlier after you laid that haymaker on Rocket?" He asked, a small sliver of hope blossoming in his chest. Dani mentally scanned the events earlier, trying to place what he was going on about.

"What did I say?" She inquired, lifting her head up to glance up at Peter. There was an odd smug expression on his face.

"The part where I'm an amazing person and that you're falling in love with me."

Dani's face flushed a deep crimson.

(**Oh. That.**)

Peter's smile widened, his hand stroking her redden cheek. "I think that alone answered my question in true Dani fashion."

"I take it that you're not gonna allow me to plead temporary insanity?" He shook his head.

"Nope."

She smiled widely up at him. "Well then, Mr. Quill, I think you have your answer."

Somehow, his smile widened even more, fully engulfing that handsome face of his. Peter leaned forward, pressing his lips against hers fiercely, taking Dani's breath away.

"As long as you promise me something." She negotiated after they pulled apart.

"Anything.' He said. 'Within reason."

"This is very serious for me, so be serious, Peter." She chided him. Peter, caught off guard by her tone, lowered his eyebrows.

"Of course, Dani. You can tell me anything. What is it?" He asked, concern evident in his tone.

"You have to promise me that if the time comes when I do profess any type of love to you, that you don't pull some Han Solo 'I Know' bullshit." Dani requested, struggling to keep her face straight and serious. Peter snorted comically, fighting himself to keep back the fit of laughter that threatened to overtake him. Failing miserably upon seeing Dani's serious expression, he snorted again which quickly turned into a full-on giggle fit.

"I'm very serious here, Peter." She drawled, pretending to be offended even though a smile cracked through.

Laughter finally dying down, Peter looked back at her, his eyes alive with mirth.

"My god, Dani. You had me freaked out there. Okay, only if you promise me the same." He countered. Smiling wider, Dani crawled on top of him, straddling his lap.

"No promises. I'm cool like Han to where I could make it work. You'll come off corny if you try. You can be my Princess Leia, chains and leather bikini to match."

Peter laughed again, giving Dani a seductive look that heated her skin like a brush fire. "At first, I was offended but you had me at chains and leather bikini. I could rock that."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	15. About Damn Time

****I swear, I'm not dead. Between work, getting kids ready for school and battling a nasty sinus infection, I've had no time to myself. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. Enjoy!**

****BTW, **_**Mature Chapter Available for this story. Just visit my author page and click on 'When He's Needed Most' Mature Chapters.**_******

**Chapter Fifteen: About Damn Time**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"He really said all of that? What a dick! Good riddance I say."

Stretched out on the bed in Dani's original room, she filled Amelia in on what had occurred the day before during their planning of infiltrating the arena on Zakkar. Amelia's words should have cheered her up, but Dani was still feeling guilty. She grabbed another potato chip out of the bag they were sharing, nibbling absentmindedly as her thoughts continued to trail into their previous darkness, how all this was her fault despite Peter vehemently denying it.

"Rocket and I may not see eye to eye, but he still means a lot to Peter. I can't help feeling crappy about the whole debacle."

Eyebrow raising at the blonde's comment, Amelia leaned forward, flicking her in the forehead.

"Knock that off. You two did nothing wrong. Peter said it best, he made his own choice." She declared, agreeing wholeheartedly with Peter.

Dani nodded solemnly, reaching for another chip. "I know."

It took her a moment to realize her chatterbox friend had gone quiet. She glanced over to see the redhead visibly chewing on her lip, staring intently at Dani. She was obviously dying to ask her something.

"What is it? Don't start holding out on me, Mitchell."

Amelia cleared her throat before speaking, her dark blue eyes wandered the small room before turning back to Dani.

"Have you made a decision yet? About staying?"

Dani rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling above her. Now that was the real question that was plaguing her.

Every time she tried to weigh the pros and cons of each course; her brain began jumbling itself up with all the what ifs that either decision held. If she stayed, she wasn't sure when or if she'd ever see Amelia and Terry again. As exhilarating as Peter's world was, it was also incredibly dangerous. They spoke about if she did decide to stay the previous night and he certainly didn't hold back for her sake. Not including the normal risks of the jobs they did, Peter told her about all the enemies that he and the others had. His previous captor, Yondu Udonta and his Ravagers wanted them dead. Not to mention certain factions of the Kree race had it in for them as well. If Dani was going to be truthful, if only with herself, the thought of being captured and possibly murdered with Peter scared her less than spending the rest of her life without him in it. She knew it was probably stupid and impulsive but every day that went by now that her Peter was back in her life, felt fuller.

Being here felt right.

Peter felt right.

In that moment, it finally dawned on Dani that she already had made her decision, knowing all along in her heart, which path she would forge the rest of her days.

"I think I have." She spoke up, shattering the thick silence that had engulfed the room. Turning away from the metal hull above her, she rolled on her side, propping her head up on her elbow to give Amelia her full attention.

"You're staying." Amelia stated, not really asking.

Fighting back the silent tears that threatened to fall, Dani lifted her redden eyes to lock with Amelia's own hardened stare and gave the smallest of nods.

"I'm so sorry.' Her voice breaking as she spoke. 'I love you and Terry unconditionally, more than my own life but Earth doesn't hold me anymore. It barely had for a while. Besides you two, I mean. I always felt out of place in my own life, even before my parents passed away. Just being out here though, its indescribable. The things I've seen and done. Yes, it's scary and I don't know what fate the universe has in store for me, but I feel like I'm meant to be out here. And Peter, well, I know that I'm falling in love with him but I'm not staying just for him. I'm staying for me."

The two women stared quietly at each other for what felt like hours. Amelia weighing her words as Dani held her breath, waiting for her friend's reaction. The redhead let out a low, shaky breath.

"Damn girl. I was all fired up to argue your choice, but you just blew the wind right out of my sails." Amelia choked out, looking away to wipe at her eyes. Dani's heart ached watching her. Amelia finally looked back at her, eyes now red as well.

"As long as you are doing this for you. Not for some guy you are trying to impress even though I know that's not in your nature.' She said, her voice tight. 'Please be careful and don't get yourself killed. I love you too, Bitch."

Dani sat up, pulling her into a tight embrace, tears now streaming down her face. Amelia clung to her, neither one of them really knowing what else to say on the matter. They pulled back after a moment, both wiping at their streaky faces. Out of nowhere, Amelia began to laugh.

"What could you possibly find funny right now?" Dani inquired, chuckling herself due to the absurdity. Amelia's laughter died down to a few hearty chuckles, staring straight into Dani's face.

"I'm laughing because you may not be staying after all. You get to be the one to tell Terry your decision and he's going to kill Peter and drag your blonde ass back to Earth himself."

Dani's face went ashy, causing Amelia's laughter to return full force.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Dani! Hold up!" Peter called down the hall, halting her.

"What's up Peter?" She inquired, turning back to face him. Her stomach started churning at the anxious expression on his face. He ran his hand hesitantly through his hair, figuring out a way to break the news to her.

"You have to promise not to kill me." He said sheepishly.

(**Oh god, what now?**)

"Just tell me, stop being dramatic."

"Rodahir is a small colony planet. There's only a handful of fueling stations there and they are going to be closed for the night by the time we reach the planet. We're going to have to wait until the morning to refuel."

Dani's heart sank.

"So, we're losing another day? We're cutting it close to begin with. Is there somewhere else we can stop?" She asked, hopeful. He shook his head grimly.

"Not without losing nearly another half a day. There's nowhere else close enough. I'm sorry." Peter replied, feeling bad. He wished that he could do something to ease her mind. Dani shook her head at him.

"Don't apologize, it's no one's fault. You're doing your best, I know that." She said, turning away.

A thought struck him.

"Hey, I was just thinking. Since we're stuck on Rodahir for the night, might as well make the most of it. I know this planet and I also recall that I owe someone a D-A-T-E." Peter suggested, spelling out the last word. Dani took a minute to think about it. A date sounded like exactly what she needed, and they were stuck for the night anyway. Her heart began to beat faster as another thought occurred to her. Her decision was tied to their date. She had already made up her mind, but she was waiting for the right moment to tell him.

"Come on, babe. There's been a lot of heavy lately and we could both use a distraction. Please?" He clapped his hands together, bringing them to his mouth in a silent begging gesture. The sight was too cute for words, how could she say no?

(**Well, when in Rome, right?**)

"That sounds wonderful, Peter. Do I need to change for your big, mysterious date?" She pointed down to her dark green off shoulder jumper, tight black skinny jeans and her white Converse Chuck Taylor high tops. He smiled as he took in how cute she looked. She always looked amazing to him.

"Hell no, you're perfect." Peter's words brought a blush to her face.

"Well, maybe a jacket. And your taser gun." He added, receiving a pointed stare from Dani.

"You never know what kind of trouble could be lurking around the corner. Not to mention I'm something of a lothario. Women can't resist me; you may need to fight them off." He remarked with an air of confidence, his trademark sass making Dani laugh.

"You are ridiculous. So, would you say this is something that you are P-L-A-N-N-I-N-G?" She asked, spelling out the last word just as Peter had done. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I think it's fair to say yes, why?"

Dani turned on her heel, heading to their room.

"I'm gonna need my gun then. As I said before, anytime you plan something, gunfire is sure to ensue."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So, you planning on tell me where it is that we are going?"

While holding Dani's hand tightly within his own, a small, happy smile grew on Peter's face as they walked down the bustling street of the capital city of Rodahir.

"Nope, that would ruin the surprise. Can't have that happening." Was all the response she received. She slowed her pace, bringing Peter to a stop. His small smile morphed into a grin upon seeing the small pout on her lovely face.

"C'mon Peter. I'm curious, don't leave me in anticipation." She jokingly pleaded. It wasn't that she didn't trust with whatever he had in mind. She had been quite hesitant when their date started off with a stop at a small food vendor that resembled a hot dog vendor that Dani had visited when her family had taken a trip to New York City when she was younger. That had not gone over well for her at the time due to having to spend the remainder of the day in the bathroom with a bucket between her knees.

Peter however swore that she would not be disappointed. Finally relenting, she allowed him to order her a sandwich that turned out to be the most amazing she had ever had. The greasy sandwich somehow tasted like a hamburger and a hotdog all rolled into one. When Dani inquired on what the sandwich had been upon finishing it, Peter simply bit his lip, appearing to be torn on what to say.

"Never mind. I'm getting the vibe that I may not want to know." She had quickly added.

"Good choice." He responded.

Dani, however, was too curious and felt a bit more cautious on what was next after her mystery meat sandwich. Peter released a low chuckle, turning towards her. He gripped both of her hands in his, giving them a small, reassuring squeeze.

"You said before that you trust me, well, trust me, Sun Ray. This is right up your alley." He promised, shooting her his dazzling smile then pulled her forward, recommencing their walking. Dani released a small, unladylike humph which only served to make him chuckle once again.

"I trust you even with the Tuesday School Lunch Surprise gurgling away in my stomach."

After a few more blocks, the low bass hum of music drifted towards the couple. Turning a corner, a large building that resembled a rundown factory stood in front of them. The neon sign flickered the name of the night club though she couldn't read the alien language.

"Where are we?"

"Only the best night club this side of the galaxy.' Peter explained adamantly, his tone turning cheerful. 'I want to treat my lady to an evening of fancy, overpriced drinks and dancing."

She smiled widely when he mentioned dancing, the idea sounded perfect. A chance to cut loose and forget their troubles for the evening was a heaven send. She tightened her grip on Peter's hand, nearly dragging him behind her.

"Well come on then! I can't wait to see you bust a move, Quill."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Please tell me we're almost there. I'm going to sprain an ankle stumbling around blindly." Dani questioned; the warm night air was making her feel sticky inside her leather jacket. Her right foot stumbled in a dip in the ground. For the last part of their 'First Date', Peter pulled out a blindfold, insisting it was a surprise. She had been hesitant about not being able to see where she was walking especially being that she was a little tipsy from the drinks she had at the club. From what she could gather from her other available senses, they were walking through a field; the steady hum of the busy city couldn't be heard anymore. Peter had been right about the nightclub. The club was the best she had ever been to. The atmosphere was loud but not overly so and thrumming with life the instant she walked in the door. A strange sense of ease flowed over her upon entering, reminding Dani of an article she had read years ago about raves pumping ecstasy through the air vents. A small part of her wondered if that was the case here.

And the drinks! My goodness, the drinks were phenomenal. One in particular had reeled her in; a sparkling, bright purple concoction that had swirled inside of the glass. It reminded her of a nebula, like the one Peter had shown her from the cockpit of the Milano the night of their first kiss. Dani smiled; that maybe why she had been partial towards the drink.

"Actually, thinking on it now, this would be easier." His voice reached her ears. Without warning, Peter swept her up in his arms, carrying her. She released an undignified screech of startlement, her hands flying haphazardly around her, bumping into his chest.

"Aaaahhhh! A little warning would've been nice. I can't see anything. You nearly scared the piss out of me." Dani squeaked, feeling slightly silly from the half shriek she let out.

"Please don't. I'm carrying you and I'm not into that type of sexual shenanigans."

Dani humphed, mumbling 'smartass' under her breath. Peter laughed heartily; the boyish, excited laughter melted any trace of grumpiness that had been forming inside of her. Dani smiled contently as she nestled her head into the crook of his neck, inhaling his cologne. She loved his laughter; the boisterous noise was always so full of life and still held that small spark of youth. One of the largest regrets she felt was that Dani had never got the chance to witness a teenage Peter Quill; now that would've been quite a sight. She imagined that he was quite the little hellion.

They continued their trek a few more minutes until her short attention span, and maybe the purple swirly drinks buzzing through her system, got the best of her.

"Let's play a game!" She insisted, kicking her feet in the air childishly. She didn't need to be able to see to know that Peter was grinning widely at the silly suggestion.

"And just how do you suppose we are going to be able to do that with me carrying you and you being blindfolded?" Peter inquired, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. Dani thought for a moment, her smile widening even more.

"I got it! I spy with my little eye, something black." Dani announced, moving her head around dramatically for effect. Peter's boyish laugh rumbled through his chest as he shifted, nearly dropping her.

"Knock it off, Patrick, unless you want a bruised ass when I drop you."

"You're no fun." She pouted, faking a sad face that caused him to chuckle at her antics. The two fell into comfortable silence as Peter carried her. Dani felt Peter's movements tilt, suggesting that he was trekking up a hillside of some sort.

"Are we there yet?"

"Really? I'm trying to be romantic here."

Dani shrugged absently. Being robbed of her sight, the time felt like it was dragging on and on.

"I know, baby."

"Actually, this spot is perfect. I'm putting you down now." He informed her as he set her back down to her feet.

"Can I take this off now?" Dani asked, excitement bubbling up as to where they were at.

"I carried you here, I get the honors. Close your eyes." Peter whispered in her ear. Warm and cool chills ran up her spine as his breath tickled her ear. Eyes closed; Peter removed her blindfold achingly slow. The anticipation was driving her batty.

"Now?"

"Now." He whispered again, placing his hands on her shoulders, guiding her body to turn a few degrees.

Opening her eyes, Dani gasped, completely awestruck.

They were standing on a grassy knoll in the middle of a field overlooking a sea of color that flashed through the night sky. A canvass of greens, blues, yellows and so much more greeted her hungry gaze. It reminded Dani of a video she had seen of the Aurora Borealis, only ten times larger and more magnificent. Every shade of the entire color spectrum danced and exploded in the inky black sky. She couldn't find the words to express how amazing the spectacle was.

"Do you like it? Rodahir is infamous throughout the galaxy for its Aurora." Peter's voice whispered in her ear again. Her mouth hung open uselessly for a moment, trying to remember what words are.

"How could anybody not love this? It's just so…. I have no words. Nothing does this justice." She replied breathily, unable to look away. Peter smiled brightly at her reaction.

"Good. I'm glad you like it. I couldn't have said it better myself." He said, wrapping his arms around her shoulders from behind and laying his cheek on top of Dani's head as he held her close. They fell into a comfortable, awed silence, neither one of them needing to fill the quiet. They watched the grand light show for quite some time; Peter holding her close to him and Dani leaning against his chest, her heart swelling at this magical moment. It felt surreal, everything else in the universe had melted away and it was just the two of them, standing on a hillside in a grassy field on an alien planet.

This moment, without a doubt, was the most indescribable and serene that Dani had felt in her entire existence and she knew that there was no point in holding back from this incredible man what she wanted to say.

"Ask me." She whispered faintly.

Peter had been lost in his own thoughts about how right this felt, how good Dani felt in his arms that he wasn't able to make out what she had said.

"What was that?"

Dani shifted, turning in his embrace, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. Her eyes glistened with intense emotion that floored him, bringing him up short.

"Ask me again." She reiterated, looking intently up at him. Peter's heart pounded in his chest, praying that she meant what he thought she meant.

"Stay with me, Sun Ray."

Her heart fluttered at her nick name; a stray tear ran down her cheek as she nodded.

"Yes, a hundred times, yes. I'm not going anywhere, Peter." She promised, pure joy enveloping her as did the barrage of colors that exploded around the couple like fireworks in the night sky.

Peter pulled her face to his, kissing Dani with an intensity that overshadowed every kiss and touch before this point. She kissed him back just as fiercely, melting against him. They clung to one another as their kiss deepened, neither one wanting this perfect moment to end. They both pulled back slowly, desperately needing air. Both panting, Peter rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he savored this moment, this feeling.

"Damn, I'm good. This is like something out of a movie. I know I have a certain amount of debonair, but I think I outdid myself on-"

Dani placed her hand over his mouth, silencing him. He opened his eyes to look down at her.

"Peter. For once, just once, shut up." She said teasingly. She moved her hand away and leaned up, claiming his lips once more. He wrapped his hand up in her curls, deepening the kiss again. Her hands moved up to lay on his chest, sliding them under his long red leather coat, pushing it slowly off his shoulders. Peter pulled away from her lips, giving her a questioning look.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice husky. Dani stepped back out of his arms, taking a steady breath before unzipping her jacket, her bright green eyes never leaving his darker green ones. She pulled her jacket off and tossed it into the grass at his feet.

"Something I've been wanting to do but been too scared to do until now. And I swear to you, if you keep being chivalrous, I'm going to throat punch you." She replied. Dani pulled his coat from his hands, laying it in the grass and settled down on it. She gazed up at him, crooking her finger to coax him.

"Don't leave me waiting, Star Lord."

Peter remained frozen, his eyes staring widely down at her as his blood heated up in his veins.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" He asked, making sure he wasn't misinterpreting anything even though it was fairly obvious where this was going. Dani sighed in annoyance, giving him an eye roll.

"You're killing the mood, babe. Do you need a handwritten invitation? Daniella Rose Patrick formally invites you, Peter Jason Quill, to get naked and make-" Dani's sarcastic words were quickly cut off by Peter dropping to his knees, reaching for her and crashing his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms under his arms and laid back, pulling Peter down on top of her. He cupped her cheek in his hand and moved his mouth down along her jaw, his scorching kisses becoming more urgent. Dani leaned her head back, allowing him full access to her neck which he greedily took advantage of. She ran her hands down his back and gripped the hem of his shirt, pulling it up over his head. Dani then grabbed hers, yanking it off, exposing her heated skin to his own and the warm night air.

Peter paused, breathing heavily against her.

"Are you sure about this?" His voice was surprisingly steady. Dani glanced up into his eyes as he hovered over her, the brightly lit sky coloring his handsome face.

"More than anything." She simply said, pulling his mouth back to hers, opening herself up completely to the man who was wiggling his way into her heart.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani breathed out unsteadily, pulling Peter's sweat dampened head onto her chest, needing him close to her.

They laid there, curled up around each other, both completely spent as they basked in their post lovemaking, catching their breaths and waiting for their pulses to slow.

Unable to contain herself, Dani shakily laughed. Peter propped himself back up on his elbows to look down at her.

"I don't know if I should be offended at your laughter. I just rocked your world." He said, his voice shaky. Dani smiled up at him.

"That was a laugh of joy. That was just, wow! Just wow." She replied, running a hand up his jaw into his hair. Peter smirked down at her, giving her a quick tender kiss.

"I aim to please."

"And please you most certainly did." She complimented. His heart pounded erratically in his chest at her words. He rolled onto his back. Peter pulled her against him, resting her head onto his chest. Dani laid there, swirling her finger up and down his chest, lost in thought.

"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked, knowing she had something on her mind.

"I was just thinking about this, about us.' She paused to look up at him. 'About if 'We' would've happened if things hadn't worked out the way they did. If you hadn't been taken all those years ago. Would we have ended up together? Maybe something as Midwest corny as best friends turned high school sweethearts turned lovers. School dances, movie dates, me letting you get to third base in the back of your car in a cornfield on Joe Turley's farm. How small town does that sound?" She absently pondered.

Peter lightly chuckled at her train of thought as his fingers danced slowly up and down her arm. He could picture it in his head and the thought brought a small, sad smile to his face. He leaned over, placing a kiss into her dampened hair.

"It sounds like it would've been amazing. I really don't know how things would have gone. All I know is whether as your best friend or lover, I would have been there for you." Peter replied, his voice going thick. Hearing the edge in his tone, Dani reached up, turning his face to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

He was once again guilt tripping himself for not returning to Earth sooner.

"I wish I had come back to you sooner, even if it was when we were teenagers. I was just thinking of all those wasted years that I could've been with you. Don't get me wrong, I love my life and I totally would've convinced you then to fly away with me. I can be pretty convincing when I see something I want." He bragged, making Dani giggle.

"You are so full of yourself sometimes." She shot back, giving him a small kiss then sat up, reaching for her clothes. Peter shot up, tackling her back to the ground, rolling on top of her.

"I don't recall saying we were done here." He mumbled into her neck as he placed tender kisses down her neck, moving his onslaught to her chest. Dani giggled again, his goatee hair tickled her skin, her nerve endings still heightened from their 'roll in the hay', so to speak. Her laughter changed into a gasping moan when his mouth moved lower, licking and biting around her navel before trailing along her stomach. He nipped playfully at her hip bone causing Dani to let out a very high-pitched squeak. Her face reddened and her nerves riled as Peter moved lower, becoming more obvious where he was headed.

"Come on Casanova, we need to be going. We have an early morning and it's already getting late." She stated, trying to closer her legs before his head moved any lower. Peter made a pretend biting motion at her leg as she pushed him up with her foot on his chest. He snagged her leg by the calf and kissed his way up from her exposed ankle, moving up to her knee. Dani felt herself warming at the gesture but stopped him.

"I mean it, Peter. We've been gone for hours. You can ravish me again another time."

Dani scooted over to the clothes pile, picking out her belongings from the mess. She felt him creep up behind her, pressing himself against her.

"Peter?"

"Hmm?" He murmured as he kissed her neck.

"Do you recall that throat punch I mentioned earlier? That could still happen."

Peter released an undignified whine, pulling away from her as he reached for his pants.

"Fine, buzz kill. But just as long as after we leave here and make our way to Zakkar, we'll be in our room, doing unspeakable things." He blatantly said, his words causing Dani to nearly sputter into a coughing fit.

"And what if I say no?" She inquired when she got her breathing back under control. She stood and wiggled her way back into her shoes. Peter smiled mischievously at her.

"Oh, Dani. You're so adorable when you think you have a choice in the matter."

She raised her eyebrow at him in a challenging manner.

"Oh, I don't then? What are you going to do about it, _Star Lord_?"

"Simple. I'm going to throw you over my shoulder and loudly announce to everyone where we're going and all the sweet things I'm going to do to you with my mouth." Peter stated, zipping his pants up. Dani's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You wouldn't dare! I call bullshit."

He widened his smile, shrugging his coat over his shoulders. "Well, I guess that all depends on you."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	16. What Did You Say?

****_Mature Chapter Available listed under 'When He's Needed Most' Mature Chapters Story on my profile._**

****Hello once again, two chapters in one week? I'm on a roll, lol. Sorry this one is so short, I wanted to get it another one out ASAP. And, I wanted to thank Mermaising for the review. So Thank You! It feels really good to get them when I do. I sometimes get a little discouraged when I see that I have people reading my story but no one drops a line to let me know what they think. Anyway, I'll trying to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. So if you are enjoying this story or have some constructive criticism, leave me a review. They are appreciated. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Sixteen: What Did You Say?**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You ready?"

Dani nodded firmly, widening her legs, preparing herself for what was coming.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."

A fist came flying at her face fast. She moved to the side, her arm deflecting the hit. Her own fist came up, hitting her attacker, Gamora, in her side. She winced from the impact but didn't let it slow her, throwing another blow towards Dani.

They had resumed their fight training as Peter and Rocket oversaw the refueling. During their dispute, Drax and Peter had practiced a few times with her, which she had greatly appreciated but it was different than with Gamora. Peter would take her hits willingly, but Dani could tell he was hesitant about attacking, obviously pulling his punches more times than naught. He would also apologize profusely every time he connected a hit on her which annoyed Dani to no end. And Drax, well, fighting with him made her quickly realize how much more work she needed. When she did land a blow, it took everything she had not to cry out, it was like punching a brick wall. He definitely didn't pull punches. Every hit felt like a freight train, always knocking her to her ass and leaving behind a new cut or bruise. She still had the remnant of a black eye from their last fight. Dani was running low on concealer at an alarming rate.

Gamora aimed a fast-high kick at her, catching Dani in the side of her neck, pain shooting throughout her neck and shoulder. Her ears rang loudly from the impact.

"Pay attention! Keep your arms up, you should've been able to block that." Drax yelled from his seat in the corner, Amelia wincing from witnessing the blow from her seat next to him.

(**Speaking of the nosy devil**.)

His presence was not her doing, that was 100 percent Peter Quill. She mentioned to him that Gamora and her had resolved their issues and were recommencing their sparring. Not even ten minutes later, Dani overheard Peter quietly asking Drax to sit in and keep an eye on their practice since he wouldn't be able to himself. Dani knew he was worried and didn't mean any harm, but she was annoyed, nonetheless.

"Drax is right. You normally would have seen that coming. I hope Drax and Peter haven't been going too easy on you." Gamora casually said, trying to get a rise out of her to get Dani's attention on the here and now.

"Peter, ehhh. Drax, definitely not." Dani replied, shaking out her shoulder before lunging at Gamora. They continued, each getting in some good blows. Gamora moved on to another area; how to break out of an attacker's hold if they have the upper hand. She had her arm snugly around Dani's throat in a head lock and one arm bent behind her back on their knees. She tightened her hold on her throat to the point where Dani couldn't breathe easily.

"Show me how you would escape and don't hold back."

So, Dani did the only she could think of. She threw her head back, connecting hard with Gamora's face, her grip on Dani's arm weakening. Dani ripped her arm away and locked her hands together, slamming her elbow into Gamora's ribcage, successfully knocking the wind out of her. Dani scrambled away as Gamora leaned heavily onto the floor, getting her breath and bearings back.

"Way to go Dani!"

Her head snapped up at the sound of Peter's voice, distracting her. He was sitting on the other side of Amelia, watching her spar. She was even more surprised to see that Rocket was there as well, leaning against the doorway, watching them too. Dani was caught off guard by a hard hit to the chest, flying backwards onto her back. A collective ouch resonated from the bystanders from witnessing the blow she had taken. Gamora pressed her knee hard into her chest bone, pinning Dani to the floor. The blonde's eyes widened in alarm when she felt the cold chill of a metal press under her throat. Gamora leaned down, her face inches from Dani's.

"You can't lose focus. That's how you end up dead." She rolled off Dani, jumping to her feet. She offered her hand to her in which Dani gratefully accepted. She unconsciously rubbed the raw skin of her throat, still taken back by Gamora pulling a knife on her. Her pride did swell when she seen the cut on Gamora's forehead from her head butt.

"Sorry about that." She apologized, pointing at the gash. Gamora wiped at the cut, not noticing it was there before. She shocked Dani by chuckling.

"Even though you lost focus, I'll give credit where it's due. I didn't see that coming. You fight dirty and have a hard head to boot.' Gamora's chuckling died down as a shadow of remembrance passed over her face. 'You just reminded me of someone."

Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked who. Gamora, at first, didn't answer, merely staring longingly at the blood on her fingers.

"My sister, Nebula. You fight as passionately as she does. I mean, did."

"Did she die?" Dani asked, unable to stop herself. Gamora shrugged indifferently but her dark brown eyes told a different story.

"The logical half of me hopes that she is while the emotional half prays that she is alive. Anyway, I think that's enough for today." Gamora said somberly, turning off Dani's stereo. Dani snatched a towel off the bench next to Peter, wiping sweat off her face.

"That was painful just watching. I don't know how you can willingly put yourself through that." Amelia interjected, gesturing to the new bruises forming on Dani's face, chest and hands. The blonde merely shrugged.

"I'm not going to learn how to fight any other way. Besides, dudes dig scars." She chuckled, her eyes casually moving over Peter's face. He was smirking at her and shaking his head in amusement.

"If you say so. Still, watching you take that beating reminds me of those MMA fights that Bruce use to drag me to. Makes my skin crawl." Amelia responded, shaking her head in exasperation at the memories of the fights and for bringing up her douche of an ex.

"Maybe after I get good enough, I could teach you some stuff?" Dani offered to her, receiving a snort in return.

"Yeah right. Not really my thing. I'll leave the girl on girl action to you and She-Ra over there." She teased, nodding towards Gamora. A loud throat clearing interrupted their conversation.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but Dani and I have an agreement to uphold." Peter chimed in, raising his eyebrow suggestively at her. Dani's pulse sped up as she remembered their conversation last night and what Peter wanted to do to her. Her hands clenched her towel painfully, anxiety building in her stomach.

"It can wait, can't it? I wanted to spend some time with Amelia." She fumbled for an excuse.

Any excuse really.

"If you two have a thing, we can catch up later." Her friend offered, her dark blue eyes studying them critically. Peter smiled at her, waving a hand in acknowledgment.

"Thank you, Amelia. See? She doesn't mind. So, come on, you promised."

Dani slid him a devious smile.

"Technically, I didn't promise anything. You attempted to strongarm me into that 'thing'." She objected as she poked at his chest for emphasis. Peter smiled evilly right back at her.

"Have it your way, Patrick." He turned to the others; Dani's stomach dropped to the floor.

(**NO!**)

"If I could have everyone's attention! There's something I need to say. Dani and I are-"

She elbowed Peter hard in the kidney, stopping him short.

"What he means to say is that we want to thank you guys for everything that you've done. It's been quite something, it's been perilous, and you have been so wonderful and brave. I owe so much to all of you. I know that I speak for Amelia and soon enough, Terry, when I say thank you." Dani interjected, saying the first thing that popped into her head. Thankfully, it was something that she truly meant.

Gamora smiled thoughtfully, giving her a simple nod.

"You are most welcome, Dani. It's is my honor to help a friend of Quill's. I, myself, look forward to many evenings of watching and debating on Earth's television shows with you, if you do decide to stay, that is. I am most excited about watching this Doctor What you have mentioned. He sounds quite exciting." Drax replied, smiling at her as well. Dani didn't bother to correct him on the title of the British show.

"You can thank us when you have your big brother back. For the time being, I'll save any heartfelt emotions that are bubbling inside of me for then.' Rocket spoke up, turning to leave only to stop and turn back. 'By the way, nice moves on getting out of that head lock. Not bad, I would've broken her wrist personally but to each his own."

Dani turned her head from the retreating raccoon to stare in amazed disbelief at Peter who was gingerly rubbing his side from where she elbow checked him.

"We may have talked a bit earlier. I'm not sure if he is staying or going but it sounded hopeful." He answered her unspoken question. Dani nodded while watching Gamora and Drax leave as well. Only Amelia remained with them, her eyes still watching them coolly.

"Not cool, by the way." Dani stated, receiving a shrug from him.

"A man's got to do what a man has to do. So, you coming? Oh, wait. That will be later! Go shower up, we have a 'thing' to attend to." Peter said, walking backwards to the door, not wanting to miss the look on Dani's face at his obviously sexual words.

Sure enough, her cheeks were fiery red as she turned her attention to Amelia who was staring at her in full open mouth wonder.

"You slut. You two did, didn't you? No! Don't answer that right now. Get your ass in that shower and don't keep that man waiting or I might be tempted to turn on the charm for him. I want details later though. I mean full on, play by play details. Every muscular curve, sweaty movement and SIZE detail…. Later though." Amelia demanded, grabbing Dani by the shoulders and practically shoved her out the door.

"Ewww! You need serious help." Dani chuckled as Amelia pushed her into the hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Pushing the door to their room open, Dani threw her gym bag into the corner and closed the door, she pulled her shower damp hair up into a loose ponytail, her eyes scanning the room for Peter.

Arms snatched her up from behind. She let out a surprised squeal as she was thrown onto the bed. Peter was on top of her in a flash, his mouth and hands everywhere.

"It's been so long, babe." He groaned into her neck.

"We just had sex last night, how's that too long?" Dani asked, fighting back giggles when his beard tickling the sensitive skin of her neck.

"All I can think about today is your amazing body, your soft skin. Do you know how hard it is to haggle gas prices with a Rodahirrian when all I can think about is you naked underneath me? For god's sake, they have three eyes and splotchy skin."

Dani's skin heated at picturing her and Peter naked, wrapped in a lovers' embrace. "I'll take your word on that."

During their love making, at one point, Peter cupped Dani's face tenderly, his thumb grazing the sensitive skin of her lips. She leaned her face into his palm and pressed a gentle, emotional kiss to his skin.

An emotion that Peter couldn't place ripped through his chest at the gesture, a feeling deep inside of him seemed to shift into place. Something indescribable gripped roughly at his heart, somehow drowning him and yet, breathing life into him at the same time. Unable to contain himself, Peter pulled her closer, kissing her passionately in a manner that stole their breath away as they continued pushing each other over the proverbial brink of pure bliss.

Both now sated, Dani leaned back in his strong embrace, glancing up at him, panting and her eyes hooded in ecstasy. Peter's face held the same expression yet there was something in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"What is it?" She asked, breathless. He took a moment to brush her wild hair out of her face with his hands then pulled her face to his as he kissed her deeply. She didn't know how to explain it but whatever she had seen in his eyes, she also felt it in his kiss as well. Peter pulled back, looking into her eyes once more.

He knew exactly what that feeling was now.

"I love you, Sun Ray."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	17. Taking Baby Steps

****Just a quick A/N. Thank you to cl0udyth0ughts for the review. I'm estastic to hear that you love my story. I'll definitely try my best to keep up the good work ;-) Also, I know this chapter is short but I wanted to get something out when I had some quiet time to myself so enjoy and drop me a line. **

**P.S. For the hardcore Chris Pratt fans, I totally name dropped a character of his in the story. You'll know it when you see it so happy hunting! Also, song insert for this chapter listed below.**

**Song Insert:**

**The Zombies- Time of The Season- insert song when you see (*GOTG*) label**

**Chapter Seventeen: Taking Baby Steps**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

If it had not been for Peter's strong arms holding her close on his lap, Dani was sure she would've fell backwards onto her ass in shock. She gasped, not expecting those words to leave his mouth. She stared wordlessly, her mind racing at his simple yet powerful declaration. As she searched his face, the intense set of his jaw, the wide honest expression in his eyes, Dani knew more than anything that Peter meant what he said.

As for herself, well, she was stumped. Yes, she loved Peter as her childhood friend but as her _boyfriend?_ _Lover_? She didn't know exactly how to label their situation. It is true that she was falling in love with him but was she there yet? She had never been in love with someone romantically before, so Dani didn't know what to expect. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish as she struggled to think of something to say.

**(Does he want me to say it back? Oh god, this is why I suck at dating!)**

"Peter-"

He pressed his lips to hers tenderly, silencing her.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it or if you're not ready. That'd be worse than you not saying anything at all. I know how I feel, and I want to say it. So, I'm going to say it whenever I want to, and you tell me when you're ready. I love you, Dani."

Unshed tears threatened to spill out at hearing his words. She marveled to herself on how touching Peter truly could be.

She leaned into him, pressing her lips against his, pouring her heart and soul into her kiss. Peter stroked his thumb along her cheek as he kissed her back.

"My god, you are so amazing. How did I get so lucky to have you?" Dani asked rhetorically when they pulled apart. Peter simply smiled, knowing that she didn't require a response.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**(*GOTG*)**

"That's not full details, Dani! You totally skimmed over all the juicy parts. I remember specifically demanding a John Madden play by play breakdown of that night. All you gave me is the romantic, goo stuff. Your best friend wants an interactive road map of what he looks like under all that leather. What you did to him, what he did to you. Stop holding out on me, Dee." Amelia said loudly, leaning forward from her spot on the couch as she spoke.

The tenacious redhead had finally cornered Dani in their lounge room and asked if they could talk. Well, demanded would be the more correct term since she snatched Dani's hand and all but dragged her onto the couch.

"Dammit, Mitchell! Lower your voice." She hissed, embarrassed. The girls were not exactly alone in the room

Peter was currently eating his lunch at the dining table across the room. They had been discussing Amelia's topic of choice low enough to where he couldn't hear them over the music he was playing on Dani's stereo. Thanks to Amelia's outburst, he froze mid chew to gawk openly at them, his expression bewildered and horrified as he forcibly swallowed his bite.

"You do know I'm right here, correct? And Dani, really?"

She smiled sheepishly at him, giving a small shrug.

"Sorry. We're girls, we talk about this stuff." She replied. Amelia propped her chin up on her fist, turning her attention towards him as she smiled a sickly-sweet smile.

"Don't be that way, Sugar. Why don't you give us a little peep show and I promise I'll behave myself from now on? Just a little peek so I can see what's got her so worked up." She called over, teasing him. Peter's face reddened violently, causing him to nearly choke on his food. Dani slugged Amelia hard in her arm. She pulled back wincing, grabbing at her upper arm.

"Oww, Bitch! I'm playing here. I'm only trying to get a rise out of him-"

Dani raised her hand, stopping her. "Don't you dare say whatever annoying, perverted pun that is threatening to spill out."

The blonde groaned, rubbing her temple dramatically.

"I should've left your sorry ass on Dorang. Why are we even friends again?" Dani whined, giving Amelia the finger as she spoke. Amelia laughed carefreely, swatting at her friend's obscene gesture.

"Because you love me for all my quirkiness." She replied. Dani rolled her eyes at her.

"More like I am the only person who can stand being around you longer than five minutes. That and you know all my darkest secrets." Dani laughed playfully.

"That is true. Did you ever tell Peter about the Owen Grady incident?"

The blonde's face drained instantly of all color, making her complexion ashy.

"Don't. You. Dare." She threatened.

The Zombies' 'Time of the Season' went silent. Peter launched himself out of his seat, pausing the song.

"What's this I hear about Callickasaurus Rex?"

Owen Grady was a boy from Peter's grade who, as a child, had a prominent callick. He was also that one kid everyone knew growing up that was way too obsessed with dinosaurs. Hence the nickname 'Callickasaurus Rex'.

"Amelia." Dani interjected firmly, warning silently to her friend.

"But, Dani, it was so priceless." She giggled through her hand covering her mouth. Peter scooted his chair closer to the two of them.

"Now I gotta know."

Dani stared daggers at the redhead.

"In high school one Saturday afternoon-"

Dani launched herself forward, couch pillow in hand, at Amelia and tried to smother her words with the tacky cotton/polyester blend. Amelia scrambled up around the back of the couch, throwing herself onto Dani's back as she squealed in indignation, pinning her face first into the cushion. Dani's yells of protest were muffled by the furniture.

"-Dani and Owen were caught by the whole swim team and their coach, banging in the school pool!" She yelled out in time before being flipped off the front of the couch by the bucking blonde. She scrambled off the couch and kneeled by Amelia, pelting her with the pillow as the redhead laughed hysterically.

"One of these days, Amelia Mitchell! This day will be remembered. See if I save your ginger ass again if you get captured by aliens." She climbed back onto the couch, beet red and unable to stomach looking over towards Peter.

"You had sex with Callick?" He asked, his mouth wide, astonishment overtaking his face.

"In my defense, he got smoking hot in high school. Also, the swim meet was supposed to be cancelled that day and I still stick by my original story, I was teaching him CPR and it got a little carried away."

"Oh, sweetie. Men don't breathe with that head, so your story is redundant." Amelia teased, roaring with deeper laughter as she dodged the pillow that was launched at her head.

"I think Amelia and I should have a thorough discussion sometime. I believe it would be very educational and eye opening for me." Peter stated, chuckling at the dirty look he received by Dani.

"Don't let those big doe eyes and that pretty, innocent face fool you, Peter. Dani had a wild streak when she was younger." Amelia added as she pulled herself up off the floor.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I take it she never mentioned her Senior Prom?"

Dani leapt off the couch as if it stabbed her.

"Alright. That's enough of a trip down memory lane for me. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room, constructing a makeshift noose to hang myself." She quickly fled the room, not wanting to be present for her own roasting.

Dani climbed the stairs up into the cockpit, throwing herself into Peter's pilot chair, lost in her own mortified thoughts. Her eyes lifted, staring out the giant window in front of her into the vastness of space. She watched the dark sky absently, occasionally focusing on one star as the ship flew steadily past them.

The view out there was truly breathtaking. No matter how long she sat staring out into the inky sky, she never tired of star gazing. Her gaze flitted around the cockpit, landing on the small raccoon sitting in the seat next to her.

"Oh… hey Rocket. I didn't know you were there."

He continued flying the ship, only glancing slightly over at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, well, you stormed up here in a huff, something obviously bugging you. I figured if I sat here quietly, you would leave on your own and I wouldn't need to ask you how you were doing and pretend to care."

Dani stared dumbfound at him.

"Wow. Still the sensitive and caring Rocket I've come to grow so fond of. To be honest, I don't understand what it is that Peter sees in you." She snipped.

Yes, Dani was sinking to his level, but she was beyond the point of caring and was sick of his crap.

He laughed without a trace of humor evident in his tone.

"If we're being honest as you say, I could say the same about you." He coolly replied, ruffling Dani's feathers.

"You know what? I've tried my damnedest to get along with you, if only for Peter's sake but you've thrown it back in my face every time you could. Why are you so threatened by me?"

Her words caused him to chuckle once again. _Him_, threatened by _her_? That was laughable.

"Threatened? You? Yeah, okay."

Dani threw her hands up in defeat.

"Ok, whatever, I'm done trying. If you want to be a mean and miserable person, that's on you. At least my conscious is clear." She jumped out of the seat, intent on storming off. She was nearing the back of the cockpit when his voice reached her.

"Princess!" He called back. Dani continued her retreat, ignoring him. Her pace slowed to a pause, nearly stumbling in the process with what she heard next.

"Dani! Wait."

The fact that Rocket used her name for the first time had her mind reeling. She gingerly turned around, unsure of what was going on.

"What?" She snapped bitterly.

Rocked had his head fractionally turned back towards her. "You ever flown a spacecraft before?'

Dani took a few cautious steps forward.

"Do remote controlled toy airplanes count?"

"I'll take that as a no then.' He grumbled, pressing a couple of buttons on his console, the screens in front of him lighting up in activity. 'Sit back down, I'll show you a few things."

She hesitantly sat back in Peter's chair. Her eyes scanning the many levers and buttons in front of her.

"That's a lot of certain death I could cause on this console. What if I break something and we end up plummeting through space?" She asked tentatively. Apprehension flowed through her as continued gazing at the foreign console. She may as well be looking under the hood of a car right now for all she knew.

Rocket face palmed himself, rubbing his eyes.

"What am I doing?" He mumbled to himself before sitting up higher in his chair, turning towards her.

"We can't plummet in space, there's no gravity in out here. It's called physics, Blondie. We'll drift at most because we are nowhere near any planet's gravitational force, so we don't have to worry about being pulled in anywhere. Lucky for us, I'm one helluva mechanic." He boasted before turning back around.

Dani contemplated his words along with what his possible motives could be. "Why are you doing this?" She asked curiously.

Rocket stared cautiously at his own controls before answering.

"How about this? If we survive Zakkar, I'll answer that question." He countered.

"Alright, sounds good. So, what's first?" Dani inquired, turning back to the controls in front of her. She grasped a control stick she had seen Peter use a million times to steer the Milano.

"NO! Don't touch that! Are you trying to kill us?!" He hollered, flailing his arms as he yelled. She jerked her hand away as though the stick burned her skin. Rocket began to laugh loudly, shaking his head.

"I'm just pulling your leg, hummie. Yeah, that's basically your steering."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Walking out of the lounge area a little later with his brain buzzing with newfound information about Dani, Peter was still chuckling happily to himself as he approached the stairs leading to the cockpit. He paused, his boot on the first step, when Dani's melodic laughter drifted down the stairs.

"Please tell me you are joking. Peter actually did that?" He heard her ask, his head snapping up in surprise when he heard Rocket's gruff voice reply, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"You bet your rich ass he did. He challenged Ronan to a dance off as a distraction so Drax and I could fix my blaster and blow up his hammer that held the stone. He was a dancing fool; that idiot has no shame."

She laughed even harder. The Milano swayed violently for a moment, almost knocking Peter backwards to the floor.

"Oops, sorry. That does sound like Peter, shameless to a fault. I guess that one of the things I love about him."

Peter's interest piqued even more at the last part she said. Rocket audibly sighed.

"Okay, for the sake of trying to get along, I'll ask. Was that the 'L' word I heard you just saying?"

Peter didn't need to see her face to know that Dani was undoubtably blushing from her slip up. The silence seemed to drag on for an eternity.

"Yeah, it was. I'll spare you all the mushy, romantic details-"

"Which is greatly appreciated." Rocket interjected.

She steadily ignored his sarcastic interruption. "-But I think I might be, you know what I mean. With him. Yeah, there's no denying that Peter is cocky, impulsively reckless and bad at making plans but there's a kindness to him that most men don't display much anymore. He was so kindhearted when we were kids. It gladdens me that he has been able to retain that out here after all these years."

"Ok, Princess, you're treading into lovey dovey territory. I'd like to hold on to my lunch even though your flying might just do the trick if your gross love declarations don't."

Dani laughed at him, letting their conversation die down into comfortable silence until Rocket spoke up again.

"This doesn't leave this room and I swear, if you ever tell anyone I said this, well, let's just say I can kill people creatively." He said with an edge.

"Cross my heart."

He took a deep breath then resumed speaking. "I know I come off a little abrasive-"

"A little?" Dani chimed in sarcastically.

"Hey! Do you want to hear this or not?" Rocket snapped.

"Sorry, please go on."

"I'm serious on the repeating this part. But I do want Quill to be happy, even if it is physically nauseating being in the same room with you two." The raccoon confessed, staring straight ahead out the window.

"That is sweet!" She replied, riling Rocket up unintentionally.

"See!? This is why I don't do feelings!"

"Calm down, man. Your secret that you care about someone and are actually a good friend, is safe with me." She promised, trying to pacify him. Rocket only mumbled to himself momentarily.

"Okay, that's about as emotional as I'm willing to get.' He said snippily. 'Now, you see that green triangular button there, that's a turbo boost if you need to make a quick getaway."

"This one here?"

"For god's sake, don't push it! There's a plastic moron cover on it for a reason! You are sitting in Quill's seat after all-"

Approaching footsteps behind Peter pulled his attention away. Amelia walked up to him, appearing to be uncertain for the first time since he had met her.

"Hey Peter, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something. It's kinda big deal and I need someone else's input before I talk to Dani."

She had his full attention at the mention of Dani. "Of course, what is it?"

Amelia shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, wringing her hands in front of her.

"It's about Terry."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	18. Tis The Season

****_Mature Chapter Available: Just got to my profile and select When He's Needed Most Mature Chapters to Main Story._**

****A/N: Hello, I hope everyone is having a great day and ready for the Labor Day weekend. I am so excited for it! Anyway, here's another chapter in the ongoing WHNM saga. Hope you guys enjoy it and drop me a review if you can. Song inserts listed below.**

**Song Inserts:**

**The Miracles- You Really Got A Hold on Me (it's listed so you'll know it when you see it.)**

**Suzi Quatro- Stumblin' In (look for (*_GOTG_*). Hard to miss and its a great song.)**

**Looking Glass- Brandy (It's listed so you'll see it and yes, I couldn't resist. Great song!)**

**Chapter Eighteen: 'Tis The Season**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Is it broken!? Please tell me its not broken or cracked."

Gamora poked and prodded at Dani's ribcage, inspecting the area as carefully as she could manage. Moving on to fighting with staffs, much to Dani's dismay, Gamora landed a particularly hard blow into the blonde's torso area. She hit the floor, winded and could've sworn she heard a snap.

Now, sprawled out on the floor, Dani was breathing harshly and covered in a sheen of sweat from the pain radiating up her right side. Gamora finished examining her ribs, giving her a tiny smile of encouragement.

"Nothing's broken or cracked as far as I can tell. You'll live to fight another day." She stood, pulling Dani up onto her feet. She leaned forward, taking a moment to rub at her tender ribs.

"One of these days, the student will surpass the teacher, so you better watch out." Dani teased, fully standing back up.

"That will be a day of reckoning, I'm sure.' Gamora shot back playfully. 'Do you want to stop for the day?"

"Hell no. We storm the castle tomorrow, so to speak, and I need to get in as much combat training as I can. Maybe just a short water break." Dani added, plopping down on the bench and taking a large drink from her bottle. She readjusted her sports bra and rolled her aching shoulders. Gamora absently took a drink and watched Dani, her expression speaking volumes.

"Spill it, Gamora. What's on your mind?"

"Please don't get mad at what I'm about to say." She replied carefully, not sure how to say what was on her mind. Dani merely waved her hand, urging her to say whatever it is she was thinking.

"I think it would be best if you stayed behind on the ship with Amelia tomorrow while the rest of us rescue Terry."

Dani stared blankly, her brain stumbling to process what Gamora said.

**(Okay, wasn't expecting that.)**

"Um, ok, and why in the hell would I do that?" She snapped, slightly offended at her statement. Gamora stepped closer, taking a seat next to her.

"This is serious, Dani. You think it was tough getting to Amelia? That was nothing. The Salvagers on Alpha Bova? A walk in the park. The people who have your brother are dangerous, extensively trained and armed to the teeth. This will, in all likelihood, be a war zone and you're not prepared for that." Gamora explained in a serious and firm tone.

"I'll be armed as well, and you and the others have been training me to fight. Why do you think I've endured all the injuries? The black eyes and the busted lips? You thinking I'm enjoying getting the shit beat out of me day in, day out?"

"A couple weeks of training is nowhere near enough for an assault of this magnitude. All you will accomplish is getting yourself killed. Peter was raised to fight, so was I. That's years I'm talking about, Dani. You're more of a liability than an asset out there."

"So, you expect me to sit here, twiddling my thumbs while my friends risk their lives for someone they have never met? I don't think so." Dani lashed out, standing up to pace like a caged animal. Just the thought of staying behind made her stomach roll.

"That's what you are paying as for." Gamora replied, bringing Dani's pacing to a halt to stare at her in astonishment.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Gamora. This is not just about money anymore. You all mean so much to me and I know you guys feel the same about me, well, except for maybe Rocket. All I care about is getting Terry out and taking him and Amelia back to Earth."

"And what about if you do get killed? How do you think they'll deal with that? How we'll deal, your friends that you claim to care about." Gamora questioned heatedly. Dani could hear the frustration growing in her voice.

"You'll have to deal with it. I'm just a new addition in your lives. I'm sure you'll be able to go on without me. I know that's harsh but I'm going." She replied evenly.

Gamora glanced away in anger, grinding her jaw, turning her now pissed off stare back to Dani. How could Dani think so low of herself? While it's true that Gamora had been slow to warm up to her at first, the blonde earthling had grown on her, despite the dispute that had occurred between the two over Peter. She'd rather have both Dani and Peter as family than risk losing them both over her own feelings. It was still painful to see the two of them together, their light playful bantering, the way that Peter would smile at Dani hurt the most, but it was worth the pain for her friends to be happy. Now, hearing her so nonchalant about the possibility of her being killed tomorrow made Gamora see red.

"And Peter?" She was yelling now, startling Dani by her loud tone. Gamora shot up, moving into a determined pacing motion that made Dani feel uncomfortable, but she stood her ground, not allowing herself to feel threatened.

"Have you even given a single thought to how destroyed he will be if something happened to you? No, wait. He'll just have to deal with it like the rest of us. After all, you're just paying us to do a job anyway." Gamora snapped viciously, throwing Dani's previous words back in her face. Gamora bringing up the possibility of Peter losing her gave Dani pause. If the roles were reversed and Peter died, she couldn't fathom how devastated she would be. Her friend had a point even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Gamora-"

"No! Save it for someone who supposedly cares." She snapped, waving a hand dismissively. She jumped up, snatching her towel and water bottle off the bench then headed for the door. She spun around, fixing an icy glare at Dani.

"That was a horrible thing to say. 'We'll get over it.' You don't get to come into our lives, make us, make me care about you. Then run headfirst into something you're not ready for, something that will surely get you killed and expect us to be ok with that. That's selfish."

That said, Gamora stormed out the door.

Dani stared numbly after her, her friend's harsh but true words slowly sinking in. Plopping to the floor, she pulled her knees to her chest, balling up into herself.

**(Maybe Gamora is right.)**

She was nowhere near an expert fighter yet. Her fights with Gamora were improving, proving to be more of an actual fight rather than the open, one sided beat down it had been in the beginning but she had to be there tomorrow. It felt wrong all the way down in her bones to not be there, fighting alongside her friends.

There was no way she could stay behind.

**(Peter…)**

His face drifted into her mind; her thoughts quick firing in so many different directions. To her getting killed and how distraught he would be. To staying on the Milano, she would be a nervous wreck the whole time, fretting over his wellbeing.

**(What if he…)**

Self-induced anguish tore through her chest, ripping a gaping hole, at just imagining what it would feel like if Peter was killed tomorrow. Her hands trembled violently as a sob ripped from her, tears welling up in her eyes.

**(NO! That's not going to happen! This is Peter for god's sake, he's too stubborn to die.)**

Unable to stand being away from him, Dani shot up from the floor, running out the door at full speed and down the hall. Reaching the door to their room, she flung it open, gazing wildly around the room. She spotted him laying on the bed, reading her copy of _Stardust_ while 'You Really Got A Hold on Me' by The Miracles played in the background.

Caught off guard by her sudden, dramatic entry, his eyes flew over from the book to her. The smile he gave her faltered at the look of pure agony on her face. Peter sat up, flinging his legs over the side of the bed, instantly worried.

"What's wrong?" He asked while standing up.

Running on pure unadulterated emotion, a strangled sob escaped from her mouth as she ran the few steps across the room and flung herself into his embrace. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her legs around his waist. Peter tried to correct his stance from the force of her jump but failed, falling on his butt back on the bed, sitting on it with Dani wrapped around him like a scarf.

Dani clung to him, burying her face into his neck, slightly annoyed with herself at the tears cascading down her cheeks. Confused, Peter rubbed soothing circles on her back in an attempt to calm her.

"Shhh, its ok. I'm right here. It's ok." He murmured into her ear. She continued to cry, her body needing to expel all the pent-up dread she didn't know she had been bottling up until now.

After a few minutes of what she was sure was not pretty crying, Dani felt herself coming down from her emotional rollercoaster. His firm touch and soothing words helping her to do so. She slowly pulled away from his tear-soaked shirt.

"Okay. Now that whatever the hell that was has passed, tell me what is going on." He demanded softly, cupping her face in his hands. She took a few steady breaths before retelling the events that had just transpired between Gamora and herself. Peter's expression morphed from confusion and worry to understanding as she spoke.

"Well, Gamora does have a point. Don't misconstrue my intentions here. You are improving and will be a helluva fighter one day, but she is right about tomorrow. It's going to be bloody.' He paused to collect his thoughts before continuing. 'It's your choice though. I won't lie, I would feel better if you did stay back. No one would think any less of you if you did. I, also wouldn't be constantly fearing the worst if I lose sight of you even for a second."

"I'm not staying behind, so you can get that out of your head."

Peter shook his head, chuckling.

"Figured as much. Even if I tied you to the bed, I can see you gnawing your wrists off like a damn coyote." He teased, getting her to smile faintly.

"Damn straight."

She leaned her forehead against his, running her fingertips gently on his scalp, soothing him as well as herself. Peter sighed, enjoying the feeling.

"And don't worry about me. I'm going to be just fine." He added, which did nothing to calm her nerves on the subject.

"If you say so. I'm gonna worry regardless of what you say. You are too impulsive."

Peter snorted, laughing at her accusation. "You're calling me impulsive? That's the incredibly sexy pot calling the equally good-looking kettle black, Miss Patrick."

Dani cupped his face in her hands, running her thumbs along his cheekbones and through his beard, committing his every line and curve to memory. She needed to savor this moment.

"There's something else I forgot to mention."

He smiled playfully at her, his hands rubbing softly up and down her legging clad thighs. "And what's that?"

She leaned into him, placing a gentle and tender kiss to his lips before pulling away, locking her eyes with his.

"Just that I love you, Peter Quill, with all my heart." Dani said, matter of fact. Her words chased away all the usual sassy humor that normally adorned Peter's face. He watched her intensely, reading her face, his eyes opening wider as her words sunk in.

"Do you really mean that?" He asked, his voice coming out quietly, barely there. She nodded vigorously, no doubt in her heart or mind lingered.

"Yes, I do. With everything I am. I love you, Peter." Her own voice catching with emotion as she spoke.

Peter's throat visibly tightened at her declaration, his eyes going watery. He pulled her face to his to place his forehead against hers again. Suddenly, a tiny smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth.

"I know."

Dani coughed out a laugh, slugging him playfully in the shoulder as she pulled back.

"You are such an ass, Peter Quill."

He grabbed the back of her head, capturing her lips in a passionate fueled kiss. Dani moaned, enjoying the suddenness of his mouth on hers. He pulled her body closer to his as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, running her hands roughly through his short hair. Peter pulled away from her kiss.

"I love you too, Dani." He whispered against her mouth, his lips skimming her own as he spoke. Her heart swelled, nearly bursting inside of her chest. She captured his mouth again fiercely, his words stirring something deep inside her. Dani pushed her upper body forward, forcing him to lay back on the bed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**(*_GOTG_*)**

Even though their bodies were slick with perspiration and the small room had heated up, Peter and Dani still clung to one another. Each kissing and caressing the other's exposed skin, each lingering kiss and soft touch soothing an ache in their souls that fretted about what tomorrow may bring.

Peter paused, pulling his lips away from the soft skin of her stomach that his mouth was currently worshipping. His warm breath tickling her ear when he leaned up to whisper.

"Say it again."

Dani turned her head to meet his loving gaze as she bit at her bottom lip from his gentle tone.

"I love you." She whispered back breathily into his ear, pressing her lips to his cheek tenderly. He sighed contently into her hair.

"I love you, too." He replied.

Rolling onto his back, he pulled Dani firmly to his side. After a few moments of comfortable silence, he interrupted the quiet.

"I think we should make a promise to each other."

Intrigued, Dani slowed her fingers that were tracing circles on his bare chest.

"What's that?"

Peter thought about his words before answering.

"About what needs to be done if something happens to one of us tomorrow."

Her pattern on his chest stilled. "You really know how to kill a post sex buzz."

"This is something that we need to be on the same page about, babe."

"Alright, double tap to the head so I don't come back as a zombie." She teased humorlessly, not wanting to discuss this.

"Dani."

"Oh, I know, I know. So, what would you need me to do?"

"Not much really. I'd like a huge, intergalactic ceremony. David Hasselhoff must be there amongst others. I'll make you a list. Oh, also, I'll need you to swear off men entirely, maybe join a convent or something of that nature. That's not too much, is it?" He asked playfully as he was trying to lighten the conversation.

She lifted her head, looking up at him. "It sounds epic."

"If only. So, what do you want?" She answered with no hesitation.

"To be taken back to Earth. Back to St. Charles and buried next to my parents. Nothing grand.' She pushed herself up on her elbow to look at him. 'What do you really want?"

Peter's fingers danced lightly down her spine. "Looks like I'm going back home, too."

Dani's face scrunched up at his words. "Really? I thought you would want your ashes scattered along the rings of Mars or something like that."

"You're thinking of Saturn and no, I want to be wherever you're going to be." He replied with a note of finality. Dani's throat tightened, moved by him. She placed a soft kiss to his jawline.

"You are something else, Peter Quill.' She whispered. 'That's enough death talk for one night."

Peter swallowed thickly, an expression of remorse passing over his face. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, but Dani caught a glimpse.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" He nonchalantly asked, playing dumb in order to dodge her question.

"Don't play stupid. That look, what brought that on?"

Peter's eyes flitted uncomfortably from her face to the ceiling and back a few times.

"I was thinking about something Amelia mentioned. Before you go drilling into me, no, I can't tell you. She made me swear not to say anything. She said it was something that she needed to talk to you about and threatened bodily harm to certain areas on myself that I, and I'm sure you would too, like to keep intact. If I broke that promise."

Curiosity had wiggled inside of her. "Can you tell me what it's about at least?"

The stress taking hold on his face increased tenfold, making him look older than his years.

"You really need to talk to her about this. It's not my place to say."

Dani sat up in the bed, reaching for her clothes. "Maybe she is still awake-"

Peter's hand flew out, wrapping around her forearm.

"It's late. Just wait until tomorrow."

She laid down on her side next to him, curling her body into his.

"I swear, you two will be the death of me." She teased, a small laugh flowing out of her. It was meant to be a joke, but Peter didn't seem to find it amusing.

"I thought we were done with the death talk?" He asked rhetorically, his tone had an edge to it that caused her to raise an eyebrow at him. Taking the high road, Dani chose to ignore it.

The song that had been playing changed to 'Brandy' by Looking Glass. The hard planes of Peter's face softened, a small bittersweet smile blossoming on his face.

"This was my mom's favorite song." He stated fondly. She nodded absently; Dani already knew that fact.

"I remember. Meredith had great taste when it came to music- Oh crap! I nearly forgot!" Dani exclaimed, leaping out of the bed and made a mad dash to the dresser.

Peter propped his weight up onto his elbows, his gaze following her curiously. She snatched a tee shirt out of the drawer, throwing it on. She noticed that it was baggy on her, realizing it was one of Peter's. Shrugging indifferently, Dani resumed digging through her drawer until she found what she was looking for.

"What are you doing?" He called over, becoming more and more curious with each passing second. He pulled the covers out from under him, covering himself. Reaching the bed, she sat cross legged by his side, producing a gift wrapped medium sized package from behind her back. He took in the bright red bow on top along with the My Little Pony wrapping paper, his gaze moving to meet her excited one.

"Cute paper. You going to braid my hair and have a tea party with me later?"

She shot him a dirty look. "It was all I could find on Rodahir. You try finding gift wrap in space, dick. Anyway, Merry Christmas, Peter."

Peter's face lit up in surprise. Pulling the blanket up around his waist, he sat up and took the present from her.

"Is it really Christmas?" He inquired, receiving a nod from her.

"Yep, I've been keeping track of the days. Go ahead, open it." She responded excitedly, moving closer to him.

"I didn't get you anything. Christmas isn't really a celebrated event out here." He stated. She waved her hand dismissively.

"I have you, that's more than enough for me."

He held the gift gingerly, staring down at the girly paper in wonder, emotion bubbling up inside of him.

"Sorry. It's been years since I've gotten a Christmas gift." He apologized. Dani's chest ached for him at this revelation.

"Well, its time to break that tradition."

Peter smiled at her before turning his attention back to the present. Tearing off the bow then the hideous paper, his smirk widened a bit more.

"Is this-"

"Yeah, it's a photo album. It's also not empty."

He pulled open the deep red leather cover, his jaw tightening as his eyes welled up upon seeing the first page.

"How did you-" He began to ask but faltered, his voice wavering.

Dani scooted even closer, wrapping her arm loosely around his back. She glanced down at the first picture in the book that she had put together for him. It was from the day he was born. A close up of Meredith, exhausted with her sweat drenched blonde hair plastered to her face. The look on her face conveyed no concern for her appearance. She only had eyes for the small, yawning baby that she clutched closely to her chest, a perfect smile of blissful happiness stretching across her beautiful face. The once glossy photo had some wear and tear along with the fact that it had faded some over the years since it was developed.

"After she passed, my mom asked your grandparents for some photos. This obviously wasn't one of them that she received. After they died, my mom salvaged what she could. She never really was the same after Meredith left us." Dani explained as Peter turned the pages delicately. Not all of them were of his mother, some consisted of friends and relatives that he hadn't thought of in years. He paused on one page, the large picture making him smile even wider.

"You remember that day?" Dani asked, watching his face.

It was a much younger Peter and Dani at the local summer county fair. Dani was clutching a ridiculous giant pink with purple striped zebra in one arm, her other wrapped tight around a struggling Peter. His face was painted like a lion while hers was done up like a house cat. She was giving him an obnoxious kiss on the cheek, smearing his still wet paint as his eyes bugged out comically. His mouth hanging open in a pretend scream.

Peter laughed fondly as he recalled that day.

"How could I forget? I damn near threw my shoulder out trying to win you that hideous zebra, but you just had to have it."

Dani playfully slapped his bare shoulder.

"I merely said that it was adorable. You were the one that made it into a personal challenge to win it. My dad was getting pissed at how much he had to pay for you to keep trying. 'Just one more throw and I'll have it, Mr. Patrick, I swear.' He said it'd be cheaper to buy it outright." She recalled, laughing as she thought about how annoyed her father had been.

"Don't I know it. He liked to joke that I'd have to work summer jobs every year til I graduated high school to be able to pay him back." He replied, laughing as well as he continued flipping through the album. Peter paused again when he came across another picture of Meredith. This one had Christine in it as well. They were sitting in Dani's mother's garden at a metal patio table. Newborn Dani was cradled in Meredith's arms while Christine held one-year old Peter who napped against her shoulder while the best friends talked.

A random thought popped into Dani's head.

"You want to hear something outlandish?"

Peter nodded, not taking his eyes off the picture.

"Not trying to gross you out but you're technically my brother."

His head snapped up, a look of horror on his face. "What?!"

Dani burst into hysterical laughter at the look on his face.

"Not my blood brother, dummy. What kind of backwoods perv do you take me for? By adoption, I mean. When Meredith's health took a turn for the worst, my mother insisted on adopting you if she didn't pull through. They filed all the paperwork, went through a mountain of red tape but it was pushed through. The completed official papers came in the mail a few weeks after you disappeared. You nearly became a Patrick; in a way I guess." She explained.

Peter still had a skeptical expression.

"I don't know how I feel about that. Weirds me out a little being that we're…you know…together intimately."

She chuckled at his awkwardness.

"Stop being simple. We're not actually related.' Dani one arm hugged him. 'Did you really think I would have had sex with my own brother?"

"God no. You dropped a verbal bomb on me then didn't explain it." He responded.

"That would be such a Lannister move."

"Who is that?" Peter asked absently as he thumbed through the album.

"Modern pop culture reference. I'll explain it another time."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they combed through the rest of the album, only speaking when Peter questioned her occasionally about certain photos. Reaching the last page, Peter went stony silent as he gazed longingly at the final photo. It was another of Meredith; she sat on the hood of a baby blue and orange Mustang, smiling widely at whoever was taking the picture. She was younger than Peter remembered her being.

"I wonder who took this picture." He observed, speaking more to himself than her.

"My mom showed me this one. She told me it was your dad."

Peter's body went rigid, his head snapping up to lock his eyes with hers.

"My dad?! Did Christine ever say who he is? A name? Anything?"

Dani shook her head sheepishly. That piece of the puzzle she didn't have in her possession.

"Not really. Nothing of any use at least. I got the impression that she didn't care much for him. Sorry."

Peter's eyes saddened, turning back to the picture. "It's not your fault, nothing to apologize for."

She glanced back to the photo, smiling. "She really was beautiful."

He nodded in agreement, his fingertips brushing down his mother's face, lingering momentarily before he closed the album and turned his attention to Dani.

"All these years, I've never had a picture of her. I was worried that I would one day forget what she looked like. And now, I don't need to worry about that anymore."

Peter placed the album on the bed and turned his body towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. He hugged her close to him.

"I have you to thank for that. My incredible, awesome and thoughtful Dani. Thank you." He said, sincerely, leaning up to kiss her deeply. She stroked his cheek with her hand after they ended the kiss, a tentative grin on her face.

"Its just a photo album."

Peter shook his head, gazing up at her in awed wonderment that made her stomach twirl in somersaults.

"No, it's not. It's so much more."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	19. Calm Before The Storm

****Small A/N: Thank you brandonack96 for the review! It's all the more funnier at the end because it happened to me. I talk in my sleep and my husband pointed that particular line out to me one day. I was so embarrassed at the time but its funny now. I hope you are enjoying the rest of the story as well.**

**Enjoy this next chapter and please drop a review into my comment box. They are greatly appreciated!**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

**Chapter Nineteen: The Calm Before The Storm**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The morning came too soon, much too soon for Dani's liking. The night passed in a blur of pillow talk, short naps and more desperate, frenzied lovemaking. Peter or Dani would wake the other whether it be with playful kisses, soft caresses or full on heavy petting. It was irrational, illogical, yes. The coming rescue mission would be very trying, possibly an all-out battle. Yet each time one would rouse the other, the carnal escapades that followed felt needed. They prayed silently to themselves that each time they made love, that it wouldn't be the last.

Sitting at the table in the kitchen, Dani chewed absently on an apple as her eyes scanned more 'borrowed' personnel files that Rocket had 'acquired'. Seeing how many armed guards and how well-trained said guards were did nothing to comfort her.

"You've reread those files a hundred times. You're not going to find anything new."

Dani huffed loudly as she tossed the docket onto the table, glancing up at Gamora who was sitting on the counter, sharpening her sword with precise moves.

"So, you're talking to me now?" Dani asked immaturely, earning a harsh glare from the other woman.

"I've spoken my mind. What you do with it is entirely on you now." Was all she said.

"I'm going with you. I can't, I won't sit idly by and pray you guys come back safely."

"I know. You're just as stubborn as Peter. I guess I can't fault you for that. This is your brother we're going after so; I get it. I'm not heartless." Gamora said, her eyes fixated on a nearby wall but not really looking at it. Her mind was a million light years elsewhere. It didn't take a genius for Dani to figure out that she must've been wondering about her own sister's well-being.

"Were you two close?"

Gamora's head snapped forward, caught off guard by the question.

"Not really. We didn't exactly have a normal childhood. In fact, she hates me."

"I'm sure that's not true." Dani quickly interjected.

Gamora quirked an eyebrow at her.

"She tried to kill me the last time we met." She said, dead pan.

Dani fumbled for a reply. "Oh, well, yeah. Maybe you two can hash it out some way."

Gamora let out a low chuckle.

"Yeah, maybe. That's about as likely as you staying here today."

At that moment, Peter waltzed in the room, ending the conversation.

"Morning ladies.' He greeted, his eyes catching sight of the apple in Dani's hand. His gaze landed on the now empty fruit bowl on the table. 'Damn, figures."

Knowing what he was cursing about, Dani snatched up the file again, perusing the pages once more as she lifted her apple up to him, offering him some. Peter took a bite before moving around the table, searching for something to eat in the cabinet.

"So, what are we talking about?" He asked, his question muffled by the mouthful of fruit he was still chewing on.

"Nothing that concerns you, Nib Ass." Dani snapped playfully at him, taking another bite before glancing up at him slyly.

"Nib Ass. Really? You'd think that you'd be in a great mood after last night." He shot back suggestively. Dani's eyes widened in stunned embarrassment, shooting over to Gamora. Peter, realizing what he said and who he said it in front of, attempted to smooth over his slip up.

"I mean, what with the wonderful discussions we had. Just talking is what I meant because who doesn't like talking, right? I like to talk. I could do it all night long. TALKING, that is.' His face bunching up in his own embarrassment. 'I'm babbling, aren't I?"

Gamora hopped off the counter, staring awkwardly at the floor.

"Well, this just got uncomfortable. I'll be getting ready if anyone needs me."

Dani followed her out of the room with her eyes, guilt welling up inside. Once they were alone, she spun around and threw what was left of her apple at Peter's head. He dodged to the side, the half-eaten fruit missing his head by inches.

"I LIKE TO TALK?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Peter snatched the apple off the floor, throwing the core into the trash bin then wiped at the splatter on the cabinet with wash rag.

"That was a waste of a perfectly good apple."

"Peter-"

He threw his arms up defensively, tossing the dirty rag into the sink.

"What do you want me to say? I didn't mean to say that in front of her. You know my mouth moves faster than my brain sometimes."

She sighed, leaning back in her chair as she ran her hand through her hair. "I feel guilty enough without you spouting out innuendoes all willy nilly."

Peter gave her a knowing look. "I know. Gamora's tough, she'll be alright."

"Doesn't mean we should be rubbing her face in the mud though. There's a difference between being physically toughened and emotionally tough. Nobody enjoys having their feelings tossed aside."

He plopped in the chair across from her.

"I'll try to be more cautious with what I say but I'm not gonna hide the fact that I am happy."

A slow, goofy smile crept over Dani's face at his words. "You make me happy too."

He returned the smile before his expression clouded over.

"You ready for today?" His voice was grim. The joyful expression on her face faded.

"Yes and no. I want him back safely so bad but at what cost? If anything happens to you or the others…" She trailed off, not sure what to say. Not that she needed to. Peter understood the probable consequences. He reached across the table, taking her hand in his own.

"If its any consolation, this isn't one of my plans." He offered, trying to lighten the serious mood that had overtaken the room. The smile returned to Dani's face. Chuckling, she gave his large hand a small squeeze.

"That's right. Maybe there'll be no gun fire."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani's mind trailed back to the Milano where she left Amelia with Groot stashed away inside. She hoped if this did end up going south, at least one of them got out so they could hold up their end of the bargain, promising to return her to Earth.

She absently kicked at a rock in her way with her boot as she thought back to her departure from the ship.

While the others seemed content with clipped 'Good Lucks' and knowing nods to one another, Dani wasn't having that. She had grown very fond of Drax and Gamora, even Rocket to a certain point. She had hugged Gamora tightly, telling her friend to be safe. Turning to Drax, not sure how he would feel about a hug, Dani raised her fist up to him and waited for him to bump it. His bright blue eyes stared at her fist in confusion.

"What's suppose to be happening right now?" He had asked cluelessly. His naïve confusion elevated her spirits momentarily.

"You're supposed to bump my fist." She explained, biting back a laugh.

"With what?" Dani was now gnawing at her inner cheek for control.

"With your hand."

His eyebrows lowered as he processed this idea. He raised his open hand and lightly patted her knuckles once with his palm. His gaze turning towards hers searchingly, waiting for conformation if he had done it correctly.

"Good enough for me, big guy. We'll work on that later." Dani turned away, shaking with silent laughter. Her gaze landed on Rocket as he packed some tools she didn't recognize into a satchel. He pointed at her without looking.

"Don't even think about hugging me, Princess."

"Wouldn't dream of it." She replied, her voice laced heavily with sarcasm. Dani moved towards the work bench to pick up her supply pack Gamora insisted she pack.

Sensing his presence, her eyes shot up to land on Peter as he approached her. The nervous expression he had made her stomach clench painfully.

"Can we talk?" He asked quietly. Nodding, she followed behind him as Peter called to the others that they would be right back.

Rocket's voice drifted after them as they left the room.

"Oh, thank god. I couldn't handle the emotionally charged 'Be Safe' angst scene that I'm sure is about to unfold."

A loud, resonating thunk could be heard followed by his hiss of pain.

"OWWW! What the hell was that for?!"

Peter entered the nearest unoccupied room which happened to be the shower room. Dani chuckled low as she shut the door.

"What's funny?"

"This is where our almost first kiss nearly happened and now…" Dani trailed off, her words sticking painfully in her throat.

**(That it might be where they have their last kiss.)**

Once again, the two seemed to be on the same wavelength when Peter shushed her.

"Don't think that. There's many more to come, love." He chastised her; his anxious eyes raked over the small bag on her hip.

"You packed everything Gamora said to?"

"Yep, like a girl scout, I'm prepared." She replied, nodding.

"First aid supplies? Water? In case you need it?" He continued.

"And an extra battery pack for my gun. Even a granola bar if I feel peckish." Dani teased, giving the bag a small pat. Peter nodded, his lips pulling up in a tight, grave smile.

"Good girl." The worry in his eyes was wreaking havoc on her nerves.

"Hey, stop that. We'll get through this." Dani encouraged, even though they both knew there was no guarantee of that.

"Neither of us know how this day is gonna end.' Peter stated, sighing heavily. 'I can't lose you, Dani."

She reached up, placing a gentle hand to his cheek.

"And I you. I have faith in you, maybe not your illustrious plans but in the man that owns my heart."

Her words lit a fire inside of Peter, forcing him into motion. He grabbed her face with his hands, kissing Dani with a desperation that left her dizzy. She held his hands tightly as she kissed him back just as fiercely, her soul aching to melt with his and for them to never leave this moment. For one selfish second, she had half a mind to end everything right now and have Peter fly them safely away. As terrified as she was, Dani could never do that though.

Terry may not know it, assuming that his fate was sealed but one way or another, Dani was getting him back home.

She forced herself to not think, instead focusing on the feel of Peter's hands on her face, his mouth moving urgently against hers. She wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, clinging to him as she melted her body into his. Peter grabbed her up by her thighs, lifting Dani up and roughly pressing her into the closed door. She moaned as his mouth returned to hers, her heart pounding at his touch. Peter pulled his head back, staring at her intensely.

"I love you until my dying day, which is not today. For any of us." She said with a hint of finality. Peter's mouth found hers once more as he tightened his hold on her. Dani's eyes popped open when she felt Peter grind provocatively against her.

"Hey! None of that now Peter, we have to go." She insisted. There really was no time for any of that. Peter checked the watch on her wrist.

"We got a few minutes, that's all I need." He bargained, his hand moving to the belt of Dani's pants. She laughed as he undid them and set her down to undo his own, pulling them barely halfway down.

"A few minutes, huh? You really know how to get a girl going."

Peter shot her a mock dirty look as he lifted her back up, pressing her into the door as he wrapped her legs around his hips.

"I mean it, we have-"

Peter silenced Dani with a searing kiss as he moved against her, successfully distracting her with what they do best.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani snickered to herself as the group continued their trek, taking a more scenic route to the arena through the nearby woods than risk going through the surrounding town.

Earlier, when Dani and Peter had reemerged from their bathroom romp, the two exercised much restraint not to discreetly glance over at the other. However, Rocket's head snapped up as they entered, sniffing the air. Revulsion spread across his furry face.

"You two are disgusting." He simply snapped, throwing his bag over his shoulder as he made his way off the ship.

Dani's attention was brought back to the here and now when Peter's voice broke the group's silence.

"Hey guys, up ahead." He pointed through the trees. Squinting in the rapidly fading light, she could hardly make out the tall metal decorative pillars that were visible in the distance. Dani's stomach lurched as they moved toward the tree line, excitement and dread filling her.

"Okay, game time, let's try not to die everyone." Peter said as he looked around at his friends.

"Great pep talk, Cap. I guess it's my time to shine.' Rocket glanced around. 'See you idiots inside. Or in Hell, one of the two."

Crouching down on all fours, he took off, heading towards the lake on the south side of the perimeter.

"Drax, Gamora, take the East side. Dani and I will go around the West and we'll meet at the North entrance. You know what to do if you encounter anyone."

The two nodded, moving along the trees to the right. Dani watched them move away until she could no longer make out their figures in the darkness.

"Dani." His use of authoritative tone quickly made her focus on him.

"Yes?"

"Last time I'll ask this. You up for this? No turning back once we leave these woods." Peter inquired; his tone more serious than she had ever heard before. Steadying her nerves, she nodded.

"I got this." He nodded in response.

"Alright, whatever happens from this point on, you do not leave my sight. Unless something happens to me which you then haul your ass back to the Milano. If the others aren't there already or don't return shortly after, power her up and return to Earth."

Peter's demands left her reeling.

"What? I can't fly and what about the others? Terry? I can't-"

"Then they're as good as or already dead. You won't need to fly. I've programmed the route in the nav system, and the autopilot will take care of everything else. Promise me that if it comes to that, you do everything I just said?" Peter demanded, his leather gloved hands holding her face firmly in spot. She stuttered, her brain not wanting to accept this possibility.

"But I can help them!" She cried out argumentatively.

"The others and I have discussed this already. They know what may happen, this is always a possible outcome for us with our line of work. I can go in there knowing I may not be coming out if I know that there's a chance for you to survive, to live beyond tonight." Peter replied, his tone unwavering, his intense eyes burning into her even with the dark surrounding them.

"Promise me."

Dani's heart and mind screamed in protest as she gave a small, hesitant nod. Hearing his pleading voice was the only factor in why she did so. It broke her heart hearing him plead with her. A stray tear glided down her cheek. She roughly swiped it away.

**(Enough of that! No more crying today.)**

"I promise." Her voice cracking as she spoke.

Peter's face tightened in sadness, his mouth pressing firmly to her forehead then captured her lips once more in a heated, urgent kiss. Pulling back, he held her eyes with his.

"I love you, Daniella Rose Patrick." He said, his voice coming out tight.

"And I love you, Peter Jason Quill."

Peter took one last moment to gaze at her, his eyes burning her face into his memory.

"Time to go."

And with that, he stepped away, crooking his head towards the arena.

They raced out from the tree line, running full speed until they reached the structure, the cool metal brushing Dani's hands as they stopped abruptly. Peter paused, holding a hand up to stop her as he listened intently for any sign that indicated that they were spotted.

Not hearing any noise, he pulled out his ray guns, nodding to her to do the same. The two moved stealthily along the outer wall until they approached one of the tall, metal pillars they had seen from the trees. They dodged behind it upon hearing voices on the other side. Peter signaled her to stay down and he carefully peered around the side to get a closer look. Popping back down, he raised four fingers, indicating how many guards were on the other side.

Peter looked pointedly at her, silently counting to three with his mouth and fingers. On three, they jumped around the pillar on different sides, firing on the unaware men.

When all of them were down, Peter and Dani stepped forward, keeping their ears and eyes peeled for any they may have not noticed before. Dani forced herself not to look down at them, not to think about the now dead men she was literally stepping over. She still didn't feel right about killing. Moving on, they subdued two more guards on their way to the North Entrance, waiting on Gamora and Drax. Dani chewed on her inner cheek as the minutes ticked on.

"Where are they? Shouldn't they be here already?" She hissed quietly to Peter. Before he could answer, a voice called out from the darkness.

"I thought you had more faith in us than that, Dani." Gamora scoffed, rushing over to them, Drax right behind her. Peter went to work and popped open the door's control panel, rewiring the circuits to open the door.

"Took your sweet ass time." He teased as he worked, jumping fractionally when a small spark shot out at him.

"Well, we had to take down a dozen men quietly. Takes a little stealth and time." She bantered back as she kept a lookout.

"A dozen? Please! Dani and I had twice that."

Dani snorted. "Liar, liar. Pants on fire."

A loud beep sounded, and the door slid up. The group snapped to attention, all of them pointing their weapons at the doorway, not sure what may be waiting on the other side.

After ensuring no one was there, the group filed in. Dani glanced up and down the long hallway, it was eerily quiet.

Too quiet. Something didn't feel right.

Peter pulled out what looked to her like a scan gun that department store employees use to check inventory.

"What's that?"

"Our guide." He replied, turning it on and gave it a few shakes. A holographic map shot out in front of them, lighting up against the wall. He handed it to her to hold.

"Ok, we're here. We need to head left down the hall, down these three flights of stairs. Another left, two rights and we should be at the door that leads into the holding area for prisoners. Terry will be in there somewhere with the others and who knows how many guards, so everyone stays frosty. Rocket should be through the pipe and waiting for me to alert him with this transmitter that we're in position to open the door."

He paused, glancing around to make sure everyone understood so far.

"As we discussed, we'll free the captives, thus doing a good deed and getting us a distraction for our escape. There'll be too much havoc occurring for security to really pay us much mind. Rocket will be covering our backs, taking out as many guards as he's able near the North Entrance. Remember, if we get separated, we meet back up at the Milano." Peter reminded, going over the nitty gritty part of the plan once more in a low voice.

"And what happens if things don't go as planned?" Drax asked, receiving a trademark Peter smirk.

"Then we do what we Guardians do best, we wing it. Let's go."

They headed down the hallway, descending the stairwell, weapons at the ready. Dani's ears strained as they moved, listening for any indication of movement besides their own. Her nerves were fraying at the lack of, well, anyone. She glanced over to Peter at her side, his face conveying the same uncertainty she was feeling.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked as they finished moving down the stairs, pushing on down another empty hallway. His nervous eyes flitted to her momentarily, nodding.

"We should've seen people by now. I got a bad feeling." He replied tensely.

"So, what do we do, keep going or turn back?"

Peter kept pressing onward.

"We can't go back. With the dead guards outside, they'll beef up security to high alert and we'll never have another chance without a small army of our own. Here's to hoping that its shift change." He didn't sound very confident.

Dani remained silent, only nodding weakly in response.

They approached the last corner before the doorway leading to their destination. The group stopped while Gamora peeked around the corner.

"There's two guards at the door." She whispered as she turned back to them. Peter's face tightened with worry even more.

"Now there's definitely something going on. There should have been sentries on every level and at least four guards in this corridor from the files we have."

Gamora glanced anxiously at Dani before her brown eyes returned to Peter.

"How do you want to handle this?" She asked. Peter glanced around at Drax, Gamora and finally Dani, tension clearly written all over.

"You and me, Gamora. Let's do this."

Nodding in affirmation, Gamora followed his lead, shooting around the corner and opening fire on the two guards. Their bodies thudded hard to the floor without a fight.

Dani joined them in front of the door when Peter gave the all clear. She eyed the impenetrable door, running her fingertips over the smooth metal surface. Her heart thumped painfully, her mind screaming that she was so close, her brother was only on the other side.

Blood thundering inside her head, making it almost impossible to hear, Dani began humming softly to herself; an old habit of hers to calm her down when she was nervous.

Peter's face bunched up in confusion, turning to glance at her. "Are you humming 'Boogie Shoes'?"

Dani nodded curtly then shrugged indifferently. "It calms me down. Don't judge."

She turned to Peter, who was again watching her with uncertainty. Not allowing herself to back down now, she nodded firmly. He visibly swallowed, glancing around to the others as he pulled the transmitter out of his jacket pocket. Lifting the protective cover, his thumb hovered over the red lit button.

"Here's to most likely walking into a trap." He said, pressing the button. A moment later, the thick metal doors slid open.

Dani released a strangled gasp, covering her mouth as Peter sighed dejectedly.

"I hate being right."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	20. Fight or Flight

****A/N: Not really anything to say today. Just that enjoy this next chapter and please feel free to drop me a review. Song insert listed below.**

**Song Insert:**

**Billy Joel- Only The Good Die Young ( look for the usual (_*GOTG*_). )**

**Chapter Twenty: Fight or Flight**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Right inside the door, at least twenty or so armed guards stood blocking the prisoners' cells. Their weapons pointed directly at the group. Dani stared hopelessly at the mass. There was no way they were going to get through them without severe losses on their end; the looks on Peter, Gamora and Drax's faces telling her as much without needing to say anything.

There were movements in their ranks as the guards parted down the middle, two figures emerging from the back.

"Well, well, well. It would seem that my suspicions were correct. The boyfriend was stupid enough to bring my prizes right to me." An oily voice Dani prayed to never hear again echoed through the large room.

Stopping a few feet in front of them, Turos, along with the man from the terminal that Peter had beaten nearly to death, paused to take in the group, his eyes flickering from Gamora and landing on Dani.

"Ma cherie, we meet again. I was so looking forward to see your breathtaking face again.' He paused, clapping the other man on his shoulder. 'My right-hand man, Galen, here didn't think that your idiot boyfriend would be stupid enough to bring you along on your little rescue mission, but I had faith. I see that my faith is now well rewarded."

Dani glanced to Galen, but he only had eyes for Peter. He stared with intensity at him, his busted-up face conveying the raging hatred boiling inside of him.

Peter, mouthy as ever, seemed unable to keep quiet despite their daunting situation.

"So, name's Galen, huh? You remember me? After you punched my girl, I'm the guy that personally seen to it that you spend the next few months drinking your food from a blender. Ah! Good times."

Galen's eyes narrowed menacingly. He took a step towards Peter, only to be stopped by Turos' hand on his shoulder.

"Now Galen, there'll be plenty of time for that later. Bring them to me." He ordered to the guards. Ten of them stepped forward, signaling to them to drop their weapons.

Knowing they were outgunned and outnumbered, they relinquished their weapons. The guards patted them down, looking for hidden ones. A particularly large man moved towards Dani, forcing her arms up to pat her down.

"Not her, if you want to keep your hands. Bring her forward. I want that pleasure all to myself." Turos snapped. The large guard shoved her roughly from behind, pushing her right in front of him. He smiled wickedly, pushing her around to face her friends. He leaned down, his hands brushing up her calves, moving slowly and thoroughly up her thighs. Dani clenched her eyes closed as his hand grazed obnoxiously up the apex of her thighs, nausea working its way up her throat. As violating as he was being, she kept her mouth and her eyes shut, unable to see the look of unadulterated fury spreading over Peter's face.

Turos' hands traveled further up her body, both hands fully cupping her breasts before moving along her shoulders and down her arms. Her body shook with repulsion. Dani wrapped her arms around her torso defensively once he was finished his pervasive search.

"It would seem that you enjoyed that, my dear Daniella Patrick." His lewd voice only added to her nausea.

A loud commotion erupted from the holding cell behind them.

"_Dani?_"

Her heart felt like it skipped a beat; she knew that voice anywhere.

"TERRY?!"

Turning on her heel with lightning fast speed, she plowed through the startled few guards. She ran straight to the holding cell as her eyes scanned the massive crowd within the cell. A desperate sob ripped from her as her gaze landed on her brother as he pushed his way to the bars.

Pushing against them, Terry shoved his arms through and snatched her up tightly as he could with the bars separating them. Hot burning tears of happiness and relief cascaded down her face at finally seeing him alive with her own eyes. His face was thinner and adorned with cuts and bruises, but he looked alright for the most part. She pulled back from his arms, framing his face with her hands.

"Are you ok?"

His dark eyes stared at her in wild confusion.

"What are you doing…how did you even get here? What's going on?" Terry asked frantically.

Arms latched onto Dani's shoulders, ripping her away from Terry's hold.

"DANI!" He hollered, trying to grab at her arms but only succeded at swiping at the air.

"TERRY! Let me go, asshole!" She screamed as she was hoisted away from her brother, kicking and struggling against the iron tight grip around her torso. Terry banged the bars hard.

"Let her go!"

Feeling slightly intrigued by the situation, Turos stepped around the guard struggling to keep a hold of Dani, eyeballing Terry curiously.

"You must be the infamous brother. I must say, your sister cares for you deeply. She was willing to be my own bedroom companion in order to get you and your female friend back safely."

Terry's eyes widened, turning to Dani.

"You shouldn't have agreed to that. I'm a dead man anyway.' His surprised expression turned to anger as he looked back to Turos. 'Where's Lia? Is she alright?"

Dani was the one who spoke up.

"She's safe, we got her out." She answered, a bit perplexed by his previous statement.

"For now, at least. We'll find your ship soon enough. I made a promise to return her to her master. Speaking of ships, our is waiting for us."

Turos turned, heading back to the door.

"Terry!" She yelled, resuming her struggle to get away, her gaze frantically locking with his as she was dragged away. Terry's yells resounded behind them. Turos paused in front of Gamora, her fiery eyes holding his steadily.

"Don't think I forgot about you. You'll be joining us as well back to my estate on Alpha Bova. The three of us are going to have so much fun together."

He ran a hand softly down her green cheek. Gamora bit at his hand, missing it by centimeters which made him laugh perversely.

"Oh, you are feisty. I'm going to enjoy breaking you two in."

"I'd rather be skinned alive." She hissed, making a sick smile spread across his face.

"That can be arranged as well."

Turos turned towards Peter, who was silently stewing in his own anger. If looks could kill, Turos would be a very dead man.

"I promised Galen that he could have you all to himself. Pray that he kills you quickly, he does have quite a flare for theatrical tendencies when it comes to torture. As for the gray giant, he'll make an excellent addition here." He announced to Drax, nodding his head toward the cell.

"And someone find the raccoon. I'm getting hungry."

He turned to Dani then Gamora. "Come ladies, our ride awaits."

Gamora had already been shackled at her wrists and ankles. Two of the guards hoisted her up and dragged her from the room. The large man holding Dani set her down to bind her as well. Seizing the opportunity, Dani kicked him hard in the kneecap. As the man screamed in pain and hit the ground, she reached into her boot then scrambled over to Peter, slipping her hand into his inner jacket pocket as her other grabbed his face. She kissed him with passionate desperation, a single tear sliding down her cheek when he kissed her back as adamantly.

"Don't get killed, love. You promised to get them home and you better." Dani whispered into his ear before she was ripped away from him.

Peter, bound, fought against the guards holding him, desperate to get to her.

"Dani!"

She mouthed 'I love you' as she was dragged to the door, her neck craning to take one last look at Peter before she was forced into the hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Walking dejectedly out into the cool night air, Dani was pushed and pulled along behind a violently struggling Gamora. Hearing the roar of an engine, she looked up from her shuffling feet. All the fight that had left her back in that holding cell sparked within her upon seeing the awaiting spaceship ahead of them.

"Nononono-" Dani dead weighted herself, digging her boots into the dirt, her arms pulling roughly in the death grip the two men had on her. The one she had kicked in the kneecap stopped, backing handing her hard, sending Dani sprawling into the dirt. Groaning in pain, she ran her tongue along her bottom lip, tasting the coppery warmth flowing from her busted lip.

"Turos is gonna be pissed, Will. He said not to harm her." The other man said, yanking a dazed Dani back to her feet.

"The bitch damn near shattered my knee. She had it coming. Just tell him she tripped."

They dragged her onto the ship and tossed her into a seat next to Gamora, who looked over at her as she was having her bonds shackled to a chain in the floor.

"We gotta do something now, Dani. We can't leave the atmosphere. We'll wish we were dead if we make it back to Alpha Bova." She whispered low enough so only Dani could hear her. The ship rocked as it began its ascent from the ground.

Gamora's brown eyes widened in fear for the first time Dani could recall. She rattled her shackles.

"Dammit Dani! Listen to me. Now's the time to fight. Get me the keys to my chains."

Dani scanned her surroundings, her eyes landing on the knife on the belt of the guard in front of her. Her gaze flitted to the thick plastic bands binding her wrists together. He moved to bend down in front of her to shackle her hand restraints to the floor as well.

**(It's now or never!)**

**(**_***GOTG***_**)**

Moving into action, she flung herself back further in her chair and brought her leg up, kicking her heavy boot right into the man's face. A sickening crack echoed through the small ship. As he fell onto his back, Dani launched herself on top of him, fumbling for the knife. She unbuckled it, snatching it off as she was pulled up by another strong pair of hands from behind.

Running on adrenaline, Dani swung her hands around her head, burying the knife into the man named Will's neck. His eyes bulged as he clutched at her hands, trying to remove them and stop the bleeding. Grasping the knife tightly in her now wet, slippery hands, Dani pulled it out, the gross suction noise the movement made caused her stomach to roll as she was sprayed with blood splatter.

As gross as that was, she couldn't afford to lose focus. Each second was pivotal.

"Keys?" She snapped out as she used the knife to cut off her bounds, wincing when the blade nicked her skin a few times.

"On the belt of the broken nose guy." Gamora yelled back.

Finally cutting herself loose, Dani fumbled with the now unconscious man's belt.

"What's going on back there?!" Someone yelled from the cockpit.

Terrified, she snatched the keys and jumped up to run over to her friend. Dani was slammed hard from behind, stopping her from reaching Gamora.

Saying a quick prayer in her head, Dani flung the keys in a Hail Mary toss in Gamora's direction right before she hit the floor. She rolled on impact, bringing her knee up, hitting one of Gamora's guards hard in the gut. She rolled over to scramble away but he recovered enough to grab onto her jacket, balling it up in his fist. Thankfully it wasn't zipped so she shimmed out of it, crawling away and jumped to her feet. Dani spun around, aiming a kick at his face but he moved too quick. He grabbed her ankle and yanked, knocking her off her feet.

"A little help would be nice!" Dani yelled, trying to drag herself away only to be hit hard in the stomach by the man's elbow, knocking the wind out of her.

"I'm trying!" Gamora yelled back, pulling the chain off and now fighting with the keys to undo her ankle restraints.

The man straddled Dani as he wrapped his hands around her throat, squeezing her windpipe. Dani tried to gasp for air, her hands slapping erratically at him in an attempt to break his hold. She tried using her legs to elevate herself up, to buck him off her but she was getting weak. Black spots were obscuring her vision as her lungs began to burn. In a last-ditch effort, Dani locked her hands together and brought her left arm down hard on his outstretched arms, bringing him closer to her.

She balled her fist and swung with all the strength she had right into the man's throat. He choked and coughed violently, his hold on her neck instantly gone.

A leg appeared out of nowhere and connected with his face, sending him flying backwards off Dani. She gasped, sending herself into a coughing fit as she fought for air. A green hand appeared in front of her face. Accepting the hand, Gamora pulled her up to her feet. Before any of them could speak, a fist connected with Gamora's face, knocking her sideways. Dani had forgotten about the fourth guard. He swung at her. Dani blocked the blow, aiming a kick towards his side but he blocked that as well. He shoved her roughly backwards, advancing on her.

Tripping over a leg, she stumbled onto her butt, crawling back to get away. A loud battle cry of a yell sounded behind him. Gamora punched him in his lower back, distracting him.

"Get to Turos! He's flying the ship!"

Not needing told twice, Dani scrambled to her feet, snatching the knife up from where she spotted it on the floor.

Reaching the cockpit, she grabbed Turos' dark hair, leaning his head back and placed the knife under his chin.

"Land the ship now or I swear, I'll do it!" She hissed vehemently, her hand trembling. He chuckled, still flying the ship upwards.

"I don't think so."

"Land it now!" She screamed, her trembling hand nicking his throat, a small trickle of blood running down her fingers.

"You might as well kill me now. I know already that if I do, you won't let me live anyway."

Unable to slit a man's throat in cold blood, Dani grabbed him up by his collar, attempting to pull him out of the pilot's chair.

His hand came up, hitting her in the face, momentarily stunning Dani. He set the ship to autopilot then climbed out, grabbing her up by her tank top.

"Why do you fight me so? I want to take care of you. All I ask in return is that you give yourself to me willingly." He asked, sounding unhinged. Turos back handed her again. She fought against his hold, spitting blood onto his face from her busted lip.

"Because I'm in love with Peter and I would rather die than be separated from him." She spat.

Dani slammed her foot down onto his, causing him to howl in pain and loosen his hold. She spun out of his grasp and ran towards the pilot's chair, reaching for the controls. She could hear Gamora's voice yelling out behind her as the other woman struggled with her fight with the last guard.

"Do it, Dani!"

She reached for the steering lever. Turos grabbed her hair, pulling her head back painfully. Dani cried out as she tried to loosen his hold, but he had too tight of a grip on her.

As the night sky in the windshield became clearer, Dani paused, knowing now what Gamora had meant and what she needed to do. She briefly closed her eyes, her mind bringing Peter's face to the forefront.

His stupid smirk, his deep piercing eyes, the angular set of his jawline, even his cocky laugh filled her ears.

"I'm sorry, Peter." She whispered sadly.

Throwing a hard uppercut into Turo's face with her elbow, Dani lunged forward, pushing the controller forward. The ship nosedived, plummeting at an accelerated rate back towards the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Turos screamed, half running, half rolling to the controls. Dani leapt onto his back, forcing him to the floor.

"Looks like you don't get your set after all, Asshat." She spat, punching him in the temple, his body going limp from the blow.

Dani jumped to her feet, throwing herself into the pilot's chair. Her eyes frantically scanned all the foreign buttons on the console, her mind racing to remember what was what. Her stomach lurched when she glanced back out the windshield.

The top of the trees was speeding up to meet them it seemed. She firmly grasped the lever, pulling back as far as it would go, trying to level the ship out but they were moving too fast.

The ship was going to crash.

"We're going down! Hang on to something!" She screamed over her shoulder as she continued to hold back on the stick for dear life, her other hand grasping blindly for a seat belt.

An ear-splitting metallic ripping noise was the last thing Dani heard.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Peter landed face first in the dirt, groaning as blood flowed out of his mouth and nose. Grunting, he rolled himself onto his back, his hands bound behind him. His eyes moved to look up at his attacker.

"Is that the best you got? I've been hit harder by girls. This is going to take all night." He stated mockingly, laughing despite the pain radiating through his sore body. Galen had dragged him outside and around the back of the arena, wanting some privacy for what he had planned for him. He now stood over Peter as he rubbed his knuckles from hitting Peter repeatedly, kneeling over him, smirking.

"Just keep on joking, funny man. You'll only make this so much sweeter." He replied menacingly, punching Peter hard in the face, snapping his head abruptly to the side. Peter rotated his jaw delicately, hearing a clicking noise and gave his head a brief shake. He looked up, giving Galen a sarcastic bloody smile.

"I gotta admit, man. I can't bring myself to understand, much less approve, of your methods. First, you hit an unarmed woman and now you're beating on a tied-up man who can't defend himself.' He grimaced in pain as he leaned up closer to Galen. 'It comes off a bit cowardly. I had such high hopes for you, being the mere lackey of a sexual deviant and what not."

Galen laughed humorlessly; his attention being caught by a shiny object on the ground next to them. He picked up the object, tsking in disapproval as he inspected it. Peter swallowed thickly, recognizing the metallic piece in his hands as the knife Dani had stashed on him before she was taken away.

"Oh, I was holding that for a friend of a friend." He said sarcastically. Galen back handed him to silence him. Peter groaned, his vision momentarily going blurry.

"You never shut up, do you?"

Peter shook off the blow. "I like to talk, what can I say?"

He slid open the knife, rubbing the dull side down Peter's face.

"It'll be hard for you to sass me when I cut out your tongue. Then again, I want to hear your screaming properly so I may bench that idea."

Peter tried to hide his fear, exhaling shakily through his nose when Galen ran the knife over him. Galen stopped, eyeing the glinting weapon.

"Sly little vixen, isn't she? Too bad. She has no idea what Turos has in mind for her."

The deafening roar of a nearby engine sounded. Both men watched as a spaceship slowly lifted off the ground and moved upwards into the night sky.

Galen chuckled sadistically.

"Speak of the devil. Should I give you some insight into what Turos has instore for your little girlfriend and her green friend? It really is quite taboo, even to me. They probably will never be able to sit right after he's finished with them. I hope they have a high pain tolerance." He explained crudely.

Peter's blood began to boil inside his veins at the man's words. An anger that he never felt before thrummed through his being. His gaze followed the ship as his body visibly shook uncontrollably, his mouth clenching shut.

"Hmm, seems as if I hit a nerve. You do know how to be silent. Don't you worry yourself with them, you'll be dead long before he can get around to tearing your precious Daniella up."

Something inside of Peter snapped. Without a single thought of himself, he threw his head forward, connecting his with Galen's. Ignoring the searing, burning pain erupting in his shoulder, Peter yanked his legs up between them and kicked Galen hard in the chest, sending him backwards.

Peter rolled onto his side, shimmying his arms as low as he could, managing to pull his bound hands under his legs. With his hands no longer behind him, Peter grasped the hilt of the knife embedded in his shoulder. He hissed painfully as he pulled it out, turning it over to cut his restraints off. Finally free, he tossed the restraints away, rolling his body into a sitting position just in time to receive a kick to his stomach. Peter doubled over, clutching his throbbing midsection. Galen kicked again, landing a solid blow into Peter's back. He rolled away, trying to gather himself as Galen advanced forward.

Forcing himself to his feet, Peter released a furious yell as he charged at the man, knocking them both onto the dewy grass. Remembering the knife still clutched in his hand, he struck fast, plunging the steel blade deep into Galen's chest.

Galen's eyes widened in shock, gazing down at the knife protruding from his torso, his hands shaking as he slowly removed it. Peter fell backwards off him, watching as Galen sobbed, gasping as the burning sensation that coursed through him faded into a cold front in its stead. He slowly went still as his eyes glazed over, turned toward the night sky.

Peter, feeling exhausted from the struggle, fell back into the grass as he fought to regain his composure. His eyes shot open, thinking of his friends and of Dani. He leapt to his feet, searching the sky for the departing ship. His heart pounded erratically when he spotted it. The ship jolted and spun violently a few times before nose diving at a breakneck speed towards the ground. His feet were moving before he realized they were, running as fast as his aching legs could carry him. Dread spread through him; the ship continued barreling downwards way too fast. It seemed to slow some, as though trying to level but it was too late to try and correct its course.

Pushing himself faster, Peter reached the tree line just as an explosion of busting glass and ripping metal tore through the air around him, causing him to cover his ears. Rounding a large tree, he froze, completely immobilized by the devastation laid out in front of him.

Twisted metal and torn up trees scattered the ground. An enormous skid mark of ripped up earth stretched out hundreds of feet, leading to a smoldering wreckage that had once been the spaceship. It was shredded, fiery parts strewn behind and around the crash site.

His legs gave out, bringing him to his knees. A strangled, deep sob of despair tore through him as he fell forward onto his hands.

There was no way anyone could have survived that.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	21. Holding Out For Hope

****A/N: Hello, I'm back so soon. Got a little time on my hands so I figured I'd post another chapter. Two in two days? I'm on a roll LOL. Anyway, no song insert for this chapter. And to Mermaising, yes, I'm evil like that. Who doesn't like a good cliffhanger now and again? Don't worry, I couldn't leave you guys hanging. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Holding Out For Hope**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Peter wanted nothing more than to fall forward, curl up and pray for death to just take him as well. He had lost Gamora, who was his closest friend. She was a rock that had kept him grounded. She put up with all his crap and now she was gone.

And Dani….

What had felt like a throbbing ache in his heart now felt as though an invisible jagged knife was carving away the still beating organ.

Abandoning all decorum, Peter cried out in anguish, his eyes blurring as hot tears streamed relentlessly down.

**(This can't be it; they can't be gone. **_**She**_** can't be gone.)**

Fate could not be truly that cruel and heartless. His soul cried out for his Sun Ray.

Peter wanted, no, needed to see her again. Her wide, bright smile, her gorgeous green eyes, the soft curve of her cheek, the dimple that appeared on her right cheek when she laughed. Hell, even for her obnoxious eye rolls of annoyance. He unconsciously wrapped his fingers in the tall grass, imagining for one blissful second that the blades were her blonde curls. He'd never feel their softness again.

"Quill?" A small, hesitant voice sounded behind him.

Peter couldn't bring himself to look up anywhere else besides the grass wrapped in his hands.

"They're- they're gone- she-gone." He stuttered through the gasping that ravaged his lungs.

Rocket stood awkwardly beside his prone form. Upon hearing Peter's cries, his eyes snapped up, taking in the wreckage.

"You mean-they are in there?" He asked in denial, not receiving a response from the broken man.

Rocket's ears twitched, listening intently then perked up. He leapt onto all fours, racing into the rubble.

"Get up, Jackass! I hear someone!" He hollered, catching Peter off guard.

Without hesitation, he leapt to his feet, running to catch up with the raccoon, hope expanding in his chest. The two moved as much burning metal as they could, piece by piece. The hope that Peter had felt began to deflate as they were coming up emptyhanded.

"Quill!" Rocket yelled from his left. He raced over, pulling a large, ripped up piece away to reveal dark hair.

**(Gamora!)**

They pulled her up and away from the mangled ship. Peter laid her down gently in the grass, feeling her neck for a pulse. He breathed out a sigh of relief upon feeling the steady beat.

"Stay with her." He moved away, working through the area that they found her, praying silently to whoever was listening.

Peter's heart sank when he finished combing through the rubble of that area; no sign of Dani anywhere.

"DANI!" He bellowed, stumbling around, his eyes searching the different areas of the crash. Walking further ahead, he spotted what was left of the cockpit. He stepped carefully up into the shredded front, his eyes carefully skimming the co pilot's chair then over to the pilot's. His heart leapt in joy when he spotted a shock of blonde, curly hair.

He scrambled up and over the console, reaching forward to brush the mass of curls away from Dani's face. She was cut up, bruised and bleeding; her body slumped awkwardly in the chair, half of the safety strap wrapped around one shoulder. Peter searched her neck for a pulse, another sob escaping him when he felt a faint drumming against his fingertips.

"Dani, can you hear me?"

No response.

She was clearly unconscious, alive but out like a light. He scanned her body, looking for any visible injuries as he debated on how to move her in case she was injured. A loud explosion behind him pushed Peter into action, covering the unconscious woman with his body, attempting to shield her. He snapped his head around, locating the blast. One of the wing's engines had blown up.

Knowing that he needed to act, Peter cradled her upper body as he unhooked her strap, freeing her limp body. He scooped her up in his arms and crawled out of the destroyed cockpit, hurrying over to Rocket. Gamora had regained consciousness, cradling her aching head in her hands as she slowly worked her way through her brain fog from hitting her head. She glanced up at Peter, appearing still confused as to what had happened. Her gaze moved down to the woman in his arms, a small gasp escaping her.

"Is she alive?"

"Yeah, her breathing and pulse is really slow though."

He laid her down as gently as possible. More aware, Gamora crawled towards them, wincing from the achiness she was feeling all over. She looked up at him, worry in her face.

"Turos?"

Peter shrugged, removing his jacket and balling it up under Dani's head. "I didn't see him in the rubble."

Rocket's voice called over to them.

"I wouldn't be worrying about him anymore. He's right here.' The raccoon moved some more shredded metal out of the way off in the distance from them. "And over here as well."

Peter wrapped Dani's hand up in his, staring down at her.

"I don't know what to do, Gamora." He admitted in a broken voice, not looking away from Dani's face.

"There's not anything you can, Peter. She has to pull out of this on her own."

That was what he was afraid of.

"But what if-"

Dani's fingers in his hand twitched, her head doing the same. Gamora and Peter leaned down closer, both holding their breath in anticipation.

Bright green eyes lazily slid open, struggling to focus in the dark. Dani fluttered her eyes as she fought to focus on the blurry figures above her. She stared blearily up at them, confused as to where she was and what was going on.

"Peter?' She croaked out, still confused. 'I take it we're not dead?"

Gamora laughed in relief as did Peter. She leaned back, falling ungraciously onto her butt. Peter tightened his hold on Dani's hand, leaning his face even closer to hers.

"No, not today. You promised, after all." He replied, running his free hand through her curls, relishing the feeling. She attempted to sit up but halted when a sharp stabbing pain shot through her left arm at the movement. She hissed in pain as she fell back down.

"What is it?" Peter asked, instantly concerned.

"My arm." She responded through clenched teeth. Gamora moved closer, inspecting her arm. Her face somehow becoming greener.

"I hate to tell you but I'm pretty sure it's fractured."

Dani chuckled gravely. "Of course, it is. At least I'm alive."

"We need to brace it." Gamora stated. Just then, Rocket appeared next to her, digging through his satchel, producing some thin rope. Gamora scanned the area around them, returning with two small sticks. She went to work field wrapping Dani's injured arm.

"I need some cloth to bind around her arm."

Rocket shrugged, not having anything useful in his magic bag of tricks. Leaning up, Peter pulled his long sleeve shirt over his head, handing it to Gamora. She ripped it, tearing the material into long strips, fashioning Dani a shoulder sling.

Freshly bandaged, a shaken Dani was pulled slowly to her feet by Peter and Gamora.

"How's that?" Gamora asked.

"I'm definitely not going to be up for any sparring practice for a while." She teased, receiving a small smile in return.

"I just might let it slide for the time being."

Peter snatched his jacket off the ground, giving it a good shake before hanging over Dani's shoulders.

"Stop sacrificing your clothes to me." She protested, trying to shimmy out of the leather jacket. She felt terrible for him; he was now completely shirtless in the cool night air.

"Stop complaining, I'm fine. You just survived a massive crash. Let me baby you." He said sternly. Dani rolled her eyes at him.

"You are a pain in the ass, Peter Quill, but you're my pain."

She turned to Gamora, eyeballing her scratched up face worriedly. "Are you ok?"

She merely nodded. "I'm fine. Nothing a promised girls' night of binge drinking and dancing won't cure."

They both laughed at her jest.

"I thought you would have forgotten that I suggested that." Dani replied.

Peter cleared his throat, ending the banter.

"We should be heading back to the Milano."

Dani couldn't contain her snort of derision. "Like hell we are. We're not finished. We still need to rescue Terry and now, Drax."

"There's nothing we can do about that right now. We need to get back, regroup and go over another strategy. We don't exactly have the element of surprise anymore."

Dani's brain scrambled for a possible solution as Peter continued.

"Besides, Gamora's banged up. You have a possible broken arm. We don't have our weapons on us, and did I mention that I'm half naked?" He motioned to his bare chest.

Dani slipped out of the jacket, holding it out in front of her. "Not anymore."

He sighed in annoyance. "Dani-"

"I'm going back for them. You can come if you want to but I'm not leaving our family behind." She snapped, storming off towards the arena.

Gamora and Peter called after her as they raced to catch up with her, Rocket running on all fours past them.

"I got a tranq gun if you want me to stop her?" He called out. Peter, annoyed, pointed a disapproving finger at him as they ran.

"No, bad Rocket! No shooting one another."

Rocket scoffed. "It's only tranquilizer. She can get some beauty sleep while we plan a new escape."

The firm look from Peter finally silenced the issue.

Dani moved surprisingly quick for an injured woman; Peter caught up with her less than a hundred yards from the entrance.

"We're not prepared to go back in there. We'll be killed!" He yelled, stepping in front of her, halting her progression.

"They could be dead before we 'regroup'. We wing it, isn't that what you said?" She snapped.

"Peter's right. We need to be smart about this." Gamora spoke up, huffing as she caught up with the two.

"We don't have time!"

Peter groaned, rubbing his head. "Sure. Let's just charge in there with nothing but our bare hands or hand in your case and take all those armed guards on."

Adding even more sarcasm to his statement, he turned towards the arena, yelling sarcastically and throwing his arms out wildly. "YOU ARE WARNED! Here we come-"

A massive boom echoed out into the night as the front metal door blew off it's track outwards. Windows blew out as a fiery eruption blasted out from the first floor of the structure. An invisible wall of melting heat and pressure slammed into the group, sending them all sailing backwards through the air.

Dani landed hard on her back, rolling head over feet again and again from the momentum of the explosion. She screamed in pain as her injured arm was jostled about. Rolling to a stop, she clutched her arm to her chest, tears erupting from the excruciating pain. Pulling herself up weakly, she stared open mouthed at the burning building in shell shocked horror, unable to believe what she was seeing. She glanced around for the others; they all were laying in the grass wearing the same shocked expressions as they gawked.

It took a long moment for her to remember what was going on.

"TERRY!"

She shot to her feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm, running full speed towards the arena.

"Dammit Dani! NO!" She heard Peter hollering behind her.

As she got closer, her eyes were able to make out figures escaping through the smoke-filled open doorway. Before she could reach the entrance, Peter caught her up in his arms, lifting her off her feet.

"LET ME GO! PUT ME DOWN!" She screamed, struggling to get loose.

"I am not letting you run into a burning building!" He yelled back, his arms tightening around her to keep her in place.

As more people raced out the door, Dani waited, her heart racing as she scanned every soot covered face.

A particularly large figure emerged. Recognizing the grey skin and red tattoo patterns, she felt a shaky laugh of semi relief escape her.

"Oh god…" Peter's strained voice caught her off guard, sounding shaken.

It was then that Dani noticed what he had seen.

Drax shuffled toward them, carrying something in his strong arms. Dani stared blankly at his face as he got closer. His bright eyes looked down at her morosely, sorrow etched into every line on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Dani. It happened so fast, there's nothing I could have done."

Dani continued staring at him, her brain refusing to acknowledge what he was saying. That would only make the moment real and she couldn't handle that. Peter's grip on her somehow tighten as if to hold her emotionally as well as physically. Her gaze slowly trailed down to what Drax was carrying.

In his arms was Terry, his eyes closed as he laid limply in her friend's arms. He wasn't moving, his chest wasn't rising and falling in order to breathe. His motionless face was burned on the left side, the rest covered in a greasy soot.

"No…no... no... no... no..no…. he's fine, right? Stop it! Just stop! He's fine!" She cried out hysterically, struggling in Peter's arms. She just needed to touch her brother and he would be fine; everything would be alright.

"Let me go!" She cried, turning in Peter's embrace and shoved his chest hard with her good arm.

Knowing she needed it, Peter released her. Drax placed him on the ground. She raced forward, tripping over her own feet, falling hard to the ground. Taking no notice of her scraped palm, she scrambled over to Terry. Leaning over him, she gently patted his face in a fruitless attempt to rouse him, as though he were only sleeping.

"Come on, Terry, stop playing. Wake up. Wake up _dearthair_ **(Brother)**…. You wake up right now!" Her pleas became more hysterical as she started slapping his face then hitting his chest.

"NO! You can't do this. Don't do this to me! Wake up!" She screamed, sobs tearing through her very soul as she tried in vain to wake him.

Peter stepped away from her with Drax in tow.

"What happened?" He asked in a low voice. His heart cracked a little more with every desperate sob that emitted from the woman he loved.

"It was chaos. As the guards tried to lock me up, Terry and a few others riled up a large mass of the prisoners. There was an uprising in the holding cell. Just pure chaos, Quill. Shot were fired. I stayed close to him as everyone fought to escape. More shots than a small explosion when a misfire hit a generator. And Terry… well, he was too close to the blast. There was nothing I could do for him, Quill." He relayed the events, his tone full of remorse. Peter's mouth tightened; he gave Drax's shoulder a firm squeeze.

"I know, man. I know. It's not your fault."

They nodded to each other then Peter turned back towards Dani. He kneeled in the dirt next to her as she clung to her brother's body while she sobbed uncontrollably. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. He wasn't sure if she even knew it was there. The others stood back, giving the grieving woman some space.

After a few, long moments, Peter scooted closer.

"Dani, I'm so sorry but we need to go. It's still too dangerous to be out here. We need to get back to the Milano." He whispered carefully.

Grief stricken, Dani lashed out at him, shoving him onto his backside.

"Then just go! I'm not leaving him here. He was all I had!" She sobbed, her face wet, red and puffy. Her words cut Peter deep. He knew she was in agony and she didn't mean that, but it still hurt to hear, nonetheless.

"We're not leaving him. We'll take him with us, but we have to go." He conveyed to her, scooting towards her to gather her up into his arms. Dani sat up, swinging her fist at him which he easily caught.

"Don't touch him! Just leave me alone. Just leave me…" She snapped, fighting against Peter's grip. Countering her combativeness, he pulled her into his embrace, holding her snug against his chest as she weakly fought him. Dani struggled uselessly, finally collapsing into him as another round of sobs overtook her. Peter held her close, rubbing her back as she cried. He wished that he could take her suffering away. She had lost so much already.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until Dani's sobs slowly turned into rough gasping hiccups then suddenly, she went deathly silent. This worried him even more than the hysterical sobs did. She pulled back from his embrace, rubbing furiously at her swollen face.

"You're right. We need to go. There's nothing else to do here." She remarked flatly. Unnerved by her shift in demeanor, Peter nodded, knowing this wasn't the time and the place to address his concern.

He turned to Drax. "Would you mind carrying him?"

Drax nodded silently, moving forward and scooping Terry's body up delicately.

With Dani still in his arms, Peter stood, supporting most of her weight as they headed back to the Milano. About halfway back, Dani forcibly removed herself from his arms, wanting to walk on her own. He eyed her cautiously but said nothing; her current mood swings she was displaying were unsettling for Peter.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	22. So Cold

****A/N: Hello, I'm sorry it took a while to get this next chapter out and sorry it's a bit short. I have some things going on right now and I've been a bit distracted. I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy it and please feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you think of my story.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: So Cold**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani watched wordlessly as Drax sat her brother's body on the table in the lower loading bay. She pulled a chair up to the table, settling herself into it.

"Thank you, Drax." She said in a hollow, monotone voice. He nodded then left the room, leaving Peter and Dani alone in uncomfortable heavy silence.

Peter, unsure of what to do with himself, grabbed another chair and placed it next to hers. Not too close but enough to still be near her. The silence stretched on for what felt like hours; Dani, not wanting to talk and Peter, wanting to but not sure what to say without sounding clingy. She needed her space, but he couldn't stomach the thought of being away from her. The crash she and Gamora survived had him reeling.

The door to the room sprung open, a tear streaked Amelia came rushing into the room. Relief momentarily flooded her face at spotting Dani. It was short-lived as grief overcame her when she glanced down and seen Terry's lifeless body on the cold, metal table. Her crying intensified as she slowly ambled forward then threw herself onto him, sobbing.

Peter felt extremely awkward and partially intrusive. He briefly thought the right thing to do would be to leave the two women to grieve but one look at Dani's red rimmed eyes and cold, impassive face froze him to his seat.

He couldn't leave her now.

Amelia stood, rushing at Dani, throwing her arms around her. She however, jerked away at hearing Dani's hiss of pain, taking in her poorly bandaged arm.

"What happened?"

Dani snickered flatly.

"I guess I suck at flying, crashed a spaceship. I'll be fine." She answered, her voice still empty.

"You need to set that. Where else are you hurt?" Amelia pointed at the ripped hole and blood-soaked shirt that was used for her sling. Dani stared down at the stain in confusion.

"It's not my blood. This is Peter's shirt."

Her head whipped up towards him, her gaze quickly evaluating his person. Showing real emotion since the arena, she shot out of her chair towards Peter, kneeling in front of him to take a closer look at his right shoulder. Worry creased her face as her fingers gently touched his skin.

"Oh Peter. You need this cleaned and stitched; you don't want this getting infected."

His eyes traveled down to her injured arm.

"As soon as you agree to have me set that first." He negotiated. She glanced indecisively to Terry's body, not ready to leave his side just yet.

"I can't leave him. Not yet." Her voice quivered as she spoke.

"I'll go get what you need and bring it back." Amelia offered, standing shakily to her feet. Peter listed off the supplies that he needs and thanked her.

When they were alone again, Peter's gaze returned to Dani as she sat back in her chair, turning her attention back to her brother's corpse.

"There's nothing you could have done, that anyone could have done." Peter rushed out.

Terry's death had been a freak accident though Dani felt somehow guilty and hollow, nonetheless. Unable to face the truth, she continued to stare lifelessly at Terry's face, her eyes having lost all the spark that Peter loved so much. It was killing him to see her this way.

"Dani-"

She raised her hand up, silencing him from whatever he had been about to say.

"Just don't. I can't right now. That's a lie and we both know it." She said dully.

"But-"

"Peter, please, just leave me alone."

He clamped his mouth shut, knowing that there was no reasoning with her at this point in time. They both sat in silence, each minute passing slowly once again.

Amelia finally returned, handing the medical supplies off to Peter. She turned back to the body of the man she had loved since she was a teenager. Tears welled up in her eyes; she looked to Dani.

"I'm sorry…I…can't…" Amelia turned, hightailing it out of the room. Dani's eyes hollowly followed her, her thoughts drifting off to even darker places. Peter pulled his chair closer, getting to work on cleaning and setting her arm. Pain radiated through the limb even though he worked as gently as he could.

To distract herself from the pain in her arm, Dani began speaking out loud what was on her mind.

"Did I ever tell you about Amelia and Terry?"

He didn't respond. She had told him before, but he knew she wasn't really asking.

"They were high school sweethearts, just like how I commented before about what I think we might have been. They dated throughout high school, when Terry went off to college, even through law school. They somehow made it work up until he was offered his job in Los Angeles. She couldn't leave her ill mother and just like that, they were over. I never said this to her, but Terry was going to propose to her. He had bought a ring, it was beautiful…"

Peter listened to her as he worked, his mind wondering where she was going with this line of thought.

"Even though they hadn't seen each other in years, she still loved him as much as she did when they were teenagers. As he did her. He never married. I believe that they were soul mates, that they were supposed to be together, but life has a funny way of kicking you in the balls right when it seems like everything is going to be alright. Circumstance brought them together again in an otherworldly way to only rip them apart, permanently this time. Now one's dead and the other has to go on living without the other."

Dani continued rambling, not sure herself what she was going on about but needing to speak, nonetheless. A sad thought crossed her mind.

"It's my fault, I talked her into coming by the house that night… If I had only kept my paperwork together and not been such an airhead, things may have gone differently…"

Her statement left Peter fuming and he couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"It would've been a completely different situation, a different outcome as well. You would've been taken with Terry. You would have been sold into slavery as well or locked up in Turos' pervert sex dungeon, maybe you would be dead right now. Terry would have died in the fighting pits sooner or later." Peter interrupted her, not liking her line of thought.

"And when I came back to Earth and you were gone, I'd have no leads on what happened to you so there would have been no way to begin searching for you, much less known that you even were kidnapped. So, you need to stop this, Dani." He added forcefully.

She was dragging herself through the proverbial mud when she had done nothing wrong. It was clearly just one of the stages of mourning that she was processing but it still upset Peter to think about the weight of her words. He never would have been able to find out what happened to her, no idea on how to find her, no clue as to why Dani and Terry disappeared one night. With their budding relationship and everything they had been through so far to get to this point, the thought of her being taken instead scared the hell out of him.

"Maybe they should have never reunited.' She continued as though he hadn't spoken. 'Maybe he should have just let her fade from his mind and she him. To just occasionally wonder what may have been if things had turned out differently all those years ago… If he had never returned from the stars."

Peter's fingers stilled, her words vibrating in his head. Dani's words were thick with double meaning. He wasn't so sure she wasn't talking about Terry and Amelia anymore. He leaned back in his chair, staring intensely at her.

"What are you going on about?" He demanded, his pulse quickening and not liking where her head was at even more.

Dani took a fast, shuddering inhale, her breath turning into a cracked and painful sob.

"It's just so cruel! So unfair! Why did he have to die?! Everyone I love keeps getting ripped away. I'm starting to think I'm cursed."

Peter's chest clenched at her struggling words. He pulled his chair closer, attempting to gently wrap his arms around her to offer some comfort. She flinched, startled by his sudden movement. She lifted her good arm up, stopping him.

"I think I need to be alone right now, Peter."

"That's not a good-"

"I mean it. Just go." She insisted, her voice hardening. She knew he wanted, needed, to console her but Dani felt crowded, needing some time to herself. With Terry's death and everything that has happened in the past few months, she couldn't cope.

"Please, Peter."

Not liking it one bit, Peter conceded however, knowing that she wouldn't budge on the issue. He nodded, standing up and silently left the room, stopping only briefly to glance longingly back at Dani.

Now alone, the hysterical crying fit that had overtaken her outside the arena returned full force. She stood and climbed up onto the table, laying on her side next to her brother's body. Dani wrapped her uninjured arm around him, sobbing as she buried her face into his short brown hair.

She had heard what Peter had said about that night Amelia and Terry had been abducted but despite his words, Dani still felt that a part of this horrid situation was her fault and that she should have done more.

Her whole family was dead. She was the only Patrick left now.

For the first time since her brother and friend were taken, Dani felt alone. Truly and utterly alone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Swallowing the shot of whiskey whole, Peter slammed his glass down hard onto the table, the reverberating smack of glass on glass echoing throughout the room. He sighed deeply, rubbing his face with his hands as he contemplated his current predicament. He eyed the shot glass critically then deciding he was in desperate need of another. As he reached for the bottle, a hand shot out of nowhere, snatching the mind-numbing goodness away from him.

"Getting lit isn't the best idea right now." Gamora commented flatly, sitting in the chair across from him.

"And why is that? It sounds splendid at this point."

She studied him, searching for the right way to say what she needed to.

"Because you're a hot head when you drink, and you need to be cool and coherent. For Dani. She needs you."

He chuckled sarcastically. "She has a funny way of showing it. No, she doesn't. She snapped at me and told me to leave her alone. She clearly doesn't need me."

Gamora shook her head, amazed.

"Men, I swear. She is processing, still reeling from loss. She may not want you hovering now, but she will need you soon, and you got to be clear headed for that."

"I don't know what she wants. Her vibes are all over the place.' Peter glanced hesitantly up at her. 'You know what she said to me? She said, in a nutshell, that it should have been her taken instead of Amelia. Can you believe that? She is basically saying that she should have died as well because that is what would have happened to her in the end."

"Dani doesn't mean that. It's the grief talking."

Peter swallowed thickly, going into detail about what Dani had said about Terry and Amelia's complicated relationship. A frown appeared on Gamora's face when he reiterated the part of the conversation where Dani's words unintendedly bled into their own relationship.

"Death takes us into dark places, Peter. You should know that better than anyone. Give her time." She offered, not needing to say in words that she meant how he had lost the most important person to him at a young age, his own mother.

He sighed loudly once more, biting his lower lip in contemplation. "Stop being so insightful. I want to be petty and you're making it hard to be."

A small grin blossomed on her face. "Someone needs to keep you grounded."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	23. This Can't Be It

****A/N: No, I'm not dead. As I stated in my last A/N, I lost someone in my family and I've been dealing with that, not to mention crazy work hours and a bit of a health scare for myself. I'm fine, just old age catching up with me lol. So, I'm sorry that it took me so long to post this. I've actually been re-editing the ending. I didn't care for how I wrote it, felt wrong so I rewrote it. Not to mention that I'm also writing a story for another Chris Pratt movie 'The Magnificient Seven'. I'm about halfway done so if you are a fan of his Josh Faraday character, keep your eyes peeled for its release. I loved his character in that movie, the ending was sad though. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and please feel free to leave a review. Doesn't have to be an article but I do so enjoy them.**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: This Can't Be It**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hours passed by as Dani sat in quiet solitude, unable to leave Terry's side. She rotated between pacing the small loading area like a caged animal, her emotions spiking back and forth from anger to utter grief like a tennis ball being bounced to and fro over a net. Just when it seemed that she was able to swallow her sorrow, fresh tears sprang forth, leaving her a quivering mess in a corner of the room.

Amelia appeared during one of her breakdowns, rushing to her side to hold her friend close in their time of need. Guilt washed over Dani as she thought of the longing for a different set of arms holding her. She wanted to find Peter and apologize for her harsh words, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Something was holding her back.

Now alone once more, her thoughts drifted to Peter, probably in desperate need to not fixate on her brother's death for a few blissfully ignorant moments. She had been careless with the way she was treating him, pushing him away. She loved him more than her own life and all she ever seemed to do was to treat him cruelly. He doesn't deserve that.

Peter deserves so much more than Dani could ever give him.

After many hours of stewing in her morbid thoughts, Dani came to the realization that she wasn't built for this life of his. That she had been foolish thinking that she could be any sort of positive addition to the Milano, to its crew, to its captain. Things had been going well for them before Dani came into the picture, managing to screw everything up by putting Peter and Gamora at ends. Not to mention the whole Peter/Rocket fiasco that was entirely her fault.

They didn't need her.

Peter didn't either.

She had reiterated this to herself over and over, each time knowing it was true but thinking so didn't soften the painful ripping in her chest at the mere idea.

**(Peter…)**

The tears she had worked so hard to keep at bay cascaded down her face once more.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The door to the loading bay slid open with a whining hiss, pulling Dani out of her angst-ridden thoughts. Making a quick swipe of her face to wipe away any tears, she looked up from Terry's body, spotting Peter cautiously entering the room. His tight, anxious expression pulled at her heart as he glanced nervously from Terry to her.

He cleared his throat loudly.

"I- um- I figured that I'd check on you. You been in here for hours. I was- am worried."

She nodded solemnly, not responding. Peter let out an uneasy sigh, not sure how or what to say.

"Rocket set a course for Earth. We should be there in a few days. It'll be quicker, being that we had to back track to get to Zakkar from our original path of travel of leaving Earth and what not-"

"I believe you." She interrupted his rambling. Peter nodded as he anxiously chewed his cheek, scrambling for something to say that wouldn't come out insensitive.

So, he settled for being helpful. "Can I get you anything? Glass of water? Sandwich maybe?"

"I don't need anything to drink or eat but could you stay for a bit?" She asked tentatively.

Ecstatic at not being chased out of the room, Peter bobbed his head in agreement. "Of course."

Once seated, he reached for her hand, giving it a light but firm squeeze of reassurance. Dani's sad eyes trailed down to their joined hands, acknowledging the gesture but not returning it. Reading the room, Peter stayed silent, waiting for indication from her that she was ready to talk.

The wait wasn't long.

"Peter, we need to talk." She stated grimly, causing his stomach to drop. He wasn't liking her grave tone.

"About what?"

Dani turned in her chair, facing him. Peter deserved her full attention for this conversation.

"About us. With what happened, I think I may have said yes to staying too rashly. This life you lead, it's too unpredictable, dangerous. What if what happened to Terry had happened to you instead? Poor Amelia, what she is going through…I don't think I could survive that if it happened to you. I think it's better for both of us in the end, if I returned to Earth." She rushed out before losing her nerve.

Peter stared blankly; his mouth slightly open in winded astonishment. He continued to study her for a long moment, fully processing what she had said. He could've sworn he could hear his world crashing heavily down around him.

"What?' He asked slowly, still not accepting what was going on. 'You can't be serious?"

"I mean, think about it. What's the point of putting ourselves through that?"

Peter released an irritated scoff.

"You really are serious."

She paused, turning her tear streaked face towards Terry, drawing resolution for what she was trying to convey.

"What are we even thinking? What am I thinking? That living this lifestyle out here, doing what you do, that we'll live to old age? That things will work out and be ok? That we will die old together surrounded by a litter of grandchildren? No. We may die together in some botched plan of yours on some god forsaken planet. Or more likely, only one of us does. Then where does that leave you or me, whoever is left?' Dani paused once more, her emotions wreaking havoc on her as her voice shook. 'I don't know if I can do that… I'm… I'm scared, Peter."

She glanced over to Peter only to quickly move her stare back to Terry's body, she couldn't stomach the agonized expression on his face.

"No, this is not happening." He stated firmly.

Peter stood up, dragging Dani's chair around to face away from the table then swung his around to face her, plopping back down in his own.

"No. This hasn't been a discussion so far. You only stated that you are leaving me. I love you enough to argue my point, about why you should stay-"

"How can I pretend that everything's going to be ok? No amount of time is going to be enough. Whether it's tomorrow, five months from now or twenty plus years. No matter when one of us dies, it'll always be too soon. My parents were lucky. They lived long, happy lives together and died together. With this life, that will most likely not happen for us."

"You can't think like that! You don't get to make me fall in love with you and then pull away! You can't do this to me, to us." He pleaded.

Dani leaned forward, placing a hand on his cheek, her heart breaking at the pain etched on his face.

"I love you so much, Peter…maybe too much. It maybe kinder in the end to just stop this now, make a clean break before we become too invested in each other." She whispered, every ounce of energy and self-control she possessed going into forcing the words out of her mouth.

The pain on his face deepened before hardening.

"Too invested." He muttered. Peter jumped to his feet, kicking the metal chair he had sat on. It banged loudly against the table. He walked away, pacing the room like a caged wild animal as he processed the heart wrenching words she had spoken, pulling angrily on his hair in frustration. He muttered quietly to himself as he paced. Peter suddenly stopped, bracing his arms on a shelf to steady his raging fury.

Dani remained silent, letting him work through what she said. She finally spoke up once she assumed he was calm enough for her to continue.

"Peter, it's not-"

She jumped in her seat when he snatched a glass container off the shelf, hurling it across the room. It shattered against the wall, shards flying everywhere. Peter reared around to face her, a wild anger burning in his eyes.

"That's bullshit and you know it, Dani! Become too invested? That ship has already sailed. I love you more than I can even say. Yet, you think it would be better to destroy the best thing that's ever happened to me in order to save us the heart break of something that's inevitable no matter what course of action we take?" He yelled, unable to control his tone and ignoring the pain his words caused Dani.

**(Good. Now she has a small inclination of how I'm feeling.)**

Peter knew the thought was mean but screw it, she was the one tearing them apart.

"Well, you're in for a rude awakening, Hun. That's called life! We're mortal. One day, we're going to be separated whether it is tomorrow or fifty years, it's going to happen. But that doesn't mean we get to throw away what we have and live in fear of tomorrow. I'm willing to accept that. Why can't you?!"

Peter stopped, turning away to pull himself together. Guilt gnawed at Dani's insides as she scrambled for a rebuttal.

"Peter, don't you-"

He spun around, stopping her.

"You said what you felt and now it's my turn. Do you remember Rodahir?"

Tears pooled in her eyes as she bit her inner cheek, nodding.

"You swore that you would stay with me that night. After our date, after we first made love.' He swallowed thickly before continuing. 'Or did you forget how wonderful that night was? There could be many more nights like that to come. Yes, our lives are dangerous, but it will be all the fuller for us. Together."

Dani fought to control the shaking that threatened to envelop her.

**(How could I possibly forget the best night of my life?)**

She, however, remained silent and steadfast. Knowing that she was being stupid and selfish, Dani couldn't shake the icy fear that had gripped her heart.

This had to end, for both of their sakes.

Peter fumed; her silence spoke volumes to him.

"You know what? To hell with it. It's a three-day flight back to Earth. Maybe that will be enough time for you to pull your head out of your ass." Peter snapped, staring harshly at her as he spoke then stormed out of the room.

Dani watched his retreating back, her soul screaming at her to go after him, to throw herself into his arms and apologize profusely for being such a bitch but her head forced her to stay rooted to the chair.

Her brain kept rationalizing her choice. Peter's take on love and impeding loss made sense but she couldn't get past the overwhelming dread clawing at her very being. Why couldn't he understand that she was trying to save them from excruciating heartache?

**(And what do you call this?)**

She slid back around in her seat, turning her focus back to Terry, her face sliding back into a mask of indifference despite the emotional upheaval waging war inside. The mask would have been believable to any who saw it if it had not been for the steady stream of tears that cascaded down her cheeks.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Are you really sure about this? That you're making the right decision?"

Dani set her duffle bag down by the bay door, turning around and looking into Amelia's uncertain face.

"I'm not sure I have a say in the matter anymore. I'm pretty sure Peter hates me now."

Amelia raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"Girl, please. He could never hate you. That man worships the ground you walk on. Guys just can't vocalize their feelings normally."

Dani scoffed.

"That's very archaic of you. Side bar, then why has he been avoiding me like I have the plague?" She rebuffed.

After their 'breakup', Dani moved into her old room with Amelia, sleeping on a cot that Gamora had dug out from lord knows where. Every time Dani and Peter ended up in the same room, he would mumble some excuse about needing to do something somewhere and take off at a speed that suggested that he was on fire. The one time that she had managed to corner him in a hallway to try to explain herself more thoroughly, it had not gone over so well. There had been quite a bit of screaming and name calling to which Dani will admit was not her most mature moment. The encounter finally ended with Peter telling her brashly to go someplace very hot that no one wanted to go when they died.

"Well, you did basically rip his still beating heart out and crushed it with your heel while telling him that it's all for the best, sugar. You can't blame Peter for being a tad upset." Amelia replied honestly.

Dani sighed sadly; her friend was right. She had gone about the whole ordeal all wrong.

The bay door behind them lifted. Drax and Gamora climbed up the platform back into the bay. Rocket had landed the Milano in Dani's backyard, literally. She lived far enough out of town to not have to worry about any neighbors seeing a spaceship and calling the police. Drax and Gamora had offered to carry Terry's wrapped body into her parents' house.

"Well, I guess this is it." Dani said as she bent to pick up the two duffle bags next to her own, extending them to Gamora.

"Here's the other half of what I owe you. Thank you once again. I'm eternally in your debt."

Gamora eyed the bags momentarily before placing a hand on Dani's good one, pushing her arm down.

"We're even. You don't owe us anything." She replied, causing Dani's face to scrunch up in confusion.

"But… I only paid you half of what I promised."

The woman just nodded.

"Which paid for all our supplies and expenses, there's still plenty left over."

"Gamora, just take it. I promised."

Her friend shook her head.

"I can't anyway. Captain's orders.' She said, leaning forward to whisper.' Just don't let Rocket know."

Dani's heart cracked a bit more at the mention of Peter. She stealthily gazed around the loading bay, hoping to see him but to no avail. He was nowhere to be found.

She nodded to Gamora, setting the heavy bags down as Drax approached her, carrying a box.

"Well, it's been something, Drax."

He smiled sadly at her, offering her the box in his arms.

"Here's your video collection. It saddens me that we won't be finishing it together."

She smiled wistfully at him, shaking her head. "Keep them. A little something to remember me by."

His eyes squinted thoughtfully.

"I thank you, but we won't need them to remember you. You will most certainly be missed." He stated, matter of fact as he sat the box down.

Becoming choked up, Dani moved forward, wrapping her good arm around him in an actual hug. He lightly hugged her back. She stepped back, raising her closed fist up to him. He glanced at it, raising his open palm up. He eyed her curiously then balled his fist, bumping it with his own, making Dani laugh gleefully.

"There we go, got there in the end after all." She said, smiling.

A loud, obnoxious cough sounded behind her. "I guess this is goodbye, Princess."

Rocket stood a few feet away, looking every bit of uncomfortable. Dani moved closer, kneeling as a thought occurred to her.

"You never answered my question from the night you taught me how to fly. Why did you decide to do that?"

Rocket glanced to the others before looking back to Dani. He sighed loudly, moving forward to whisper.

"When we were in the cockpit bickering, you called me a mean and miserable person." He simply stated. Dani stared blankly at him, not seeing what he was admitting to.

"Most hummies call me rat or rodent or what have you before they finally acknowledge me by my name. You never did that. Always called me Rocket or dick sometimes, which I may have deserved. You're the first anyone that ever called me a person, like an equal.' He elaborated, not daring to look her in the eye. 'I guess it struck a nerve, is all."

Dani smiled, holding out her hand.

"I'd hug you, but I know you have creative ways of killing people."

He looked down at the offered hand, surprising her when he shook it.

"Damn straight I do. Goodbye, Dani. For what it's worth, you're both idiots and I'm sorry you two can't see it."

She felt a tell tale tugging on her pant leg.

"Don't think for a second that I forgot about you, little man."

She reached down, scooping Groot up in her hand. He climbed up her forearm, wrapping his little twig arms around her upper arm, looking at her with watery eyes.

"I Am Groot."

Rocket sighed.

"Groot, don't." He chided.

"What did he say?"

"He asked you to please stay."

Dani's already shattered heart splintered into smaller pieces. She lifted him up to her eye level.

"I'm sorry, Groot but I can't. I know it's hard to understand right now but it's for the best. You behave yourself and don't get into too much trouble. Goodbye, little guy." She replied, fighting to control her voice.

He frowned. "I Am - _**Bye**_."

Dani chewed furiously on her bottom lip to keep her squeak of excitement inside. She finally understood something he said, just in time for her to leave. Life can be funny like that.

"He said-"

"I think I got it."

She set him down on Rocket's shoulder and moved back toward the bay door, her gaze landing on Gamora.

"I still owe you a girls' night out for beating the hell out of you." Gamora said, her voice wavering.

"Then you have an excuse to come back one day and see me. I know a banging night club in Paris."

Gamora stepped towards her, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders, mindful of Dani's injured arm.

"You don't need to do this." She whispered into Dani's ear. She one armed hugged her back, barely keeping her tears at bay.

"It's for-"

Gamora pulled away, looking stern.

"The best. So, I hear. That's crap, so you know." She reached into her pocket, pulling out a small round device that resembled a garage door opener with a blue lit button on it. She handed it over to Dani.

"What's this?" She asked, flipping it over in her hand.

"It's a transponder. If you ever need us or when you realize that you are being stupid and want to come back, just press the button and hold it for five seconds. It will send a signal to the Milano's mainframe." Gamora explained. Dani eyed the device fondly, putting it in her coat pocket.

"Thank you."

"Take care, Dani."

"You, too. And take care of him as well, for me. He's too impulsive for his own good."

Gamora nodded, biting her lip to compose herself. "Don't I know it. I will."

Dani whisked away, snatching up her bags and turned to Amelia.

"Ready?"

The redhead nodded enthusiastically. "Hell yes, it's good to be home."

They walked together down the platform. Dani grinned fondly to herself when she overheard Rocket loudly asking Gamora where the final payment duffle bags were.

As her foot met the Earth, Dani's stomach rolled painfully, really setting in for her that this was goodbye. The Milano's engines fired up behind them as they walked away. She physically forced herself to not look back. That would be too much for her.

The air shifted in a swirling vortex around her, signaling the ship was pulling up. Unable to stop herself, Dani dropped the bags, spinning around to look up at the brightly painted Milano one last time. The ship was lifting off, the bay door still sliding closed.

Dani got a brief, fleeting glimpse past the door, her heart thudding erratically upon seeing Peter braced against the wall, staring intensely out the gap down to her. Even from where she stood, Dani was able to clearly see the agony on his face.

"Peter." Her whisper was drowned out by the wind.

The door slid shut, blocking her view of the man she loved. The ship lifted, sailing upwards into the bright blue sky.

Dani stood rooted in spot, watching as baby blue and orange grew smaller and smaller eventually disappearing all together. Her knees wobbled as she stared into the bright sky.

"Dani?"

Amelia's voice barely registered to her. All she could hear was the screaming in her head and the shattering of what was left of her heart.

She dropped to her knees, unable to remain steady as her whole body shook with gut wrenching sobs.

Peter was gone, back out into the cosmos to chase adventure and the stars without her by his side.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	24. Ghost of You

***A/N: I cannot begin to say how SORRY I am that it took so long to get this out. Long story short, I had a bad health scare and I was in and out of the hospital for over a month then I needed time to work some things out. I also took some time to rewrite the ending of 'When He's Needed Most', I was not a fan of how I originally ended it. **

**Anyway, I hope you all aren't too mad at me. I'll try to update again real soon. This chapter is kind of short. I wanted to get something out to you guys after leaving you on that horrible cliff hanger for a few months. Please drop a review in my mailbox and let me know how it's going in your opinion. All opinions are welcome. Thanks for hanging in there and once again, I do apologize.**

**Song Insert:**

**Ambrosia- How Much I Feel (Probably one of my fave of all time.)**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Ghost of You**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

**One Month Later**

Peter laid in his bed, staring vacantly at the wall across the room from him as Ambrosia 'How Much I Feel' played softly in the background. He spent most of his days locked away in his room. There were too many memories of _her_ wherever he went. He could still hear the fleeting reverberations of her joyous, melodic laughter haunting him, echoing through the cold hallways of The Milano. The star craft that had once been his sanctuary, his very own pie in the sky, now felt empty and way too big, even with the four other passengers residing on board. They were worried about Peter, that much he knew to be true, but he couldn't bring himself to even fake being his normal witty and sarcastic self. He would leave his quarters for no longer than what was necessary. Usually to scrounge around in the kitchenette or to check on the status reports of the ship's mainframe in the cockpit.

Sure, Peter's room had been their room during her short stay within the reemergence in his life but if he imagined hard enough, he could pretend that she was merely in their bathroom or practicing her dancing in the lower hanger. The same room where he had the most pleasurable and yet, most painful memories that Peter unwittingly tortured himself with.

She may not be there but somehow; she was everywhere at once.

_She._

Peter couldn't bring himself to think her name, much less say it out loud. It was annoyingly pathetic.

He didn't, couldn't care though.

Peter was so lost in his own brooding that he didn't hear the pounding coming from his bedroom door. It creaked loudly as it was opened, his redden eyes flitting towards the unwanted intruder.

Rocket glanced around the room heavily, a low sigh escaping his mouth.

"Dude, you got to get up. You've been in here forever and you are desperately in need of a shower. Not to mention the wallowing is getting really old."

Peter sat up, rubbing his face roughly with his hands. "I'm not wallowing."

Rocket scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm secretly a small hummie in a furry suit."

"You're barely eating, which says something right there, tubby. Not to mention your hygiene has taken a turn for the worst. We share close quarters here and it's considerate for others if you bathe on occasion. And the music, my god, the music! It's the same eight self-pity, lovelorn songs over and over again. You gotta shake this funk off, dude. She's gone, man."

Peter's head snapped up, fuming. This wasn't any of his concern. Rocket didn't even care for her.

"That's right. She made her own choice, like it or not, you have to live with it. You don't get to shut down and push everyone away."

Peter rolled his eyes, turning to look down at Rocket.

"That's rich coming from the emotionally stunted."

Rocket threw his hands up. "Fine, whatever. If you want to slowly waste away in your own filth, that's your call. We're nearing the Sovereign system now for that job I told you about with those golden weirdos. You're more than welcome to join us in making money once you shower and put on some pants that don't make you look like you should be hovering around a hobo fire ring."

That said, he turned and slammed the door behind him.

Peter flopped back on to the bed, curling onto his side. He reached over to his nightstand, pulling a gold line picture frame towards him. His bottom lip shook as his fingers ran slowly over the smiling faces of the two of them. They had their picture taken together during their date on Rodahir at a small kiosk on the way to the night club. Peter had turned away from the camera, giving her cheek a large, obnoxious kiss. In the picture, her eyelids were nearly shut, adorning a wide, face splitting smile, as though thoroughly reveling in the affection that he showered upon her lovely cheek.

Her bright, infectious smile lit up her face, bringing a sad and bittersweet one to Peter's own. He was torturing himself but by god, he missed her so much. The bedroom feeling cold and empty now with just his own self occupying the space.

He pulled the pillow that she had been using closer, inhaling. Even the scent of her had faded away. Peter never thought he would long for a small hint of jasmine and lavender, but he now craved it.

Craved her, to be exact. His… his Dani.

A small flicker within him began to grow as Rocket's words danced through his head.

_**(She's made her choice… you don't get to shut down and push everyone away.)**_

It was difficult to admit it, but his friend was right. As much as every fiber of his being cried out for Dani, she had left him, broken and bleeding. He stilled loved her as well as knew that she loved him, but Rocket was right, he couldn't shut down anymore. He had to keep going, keep moving forward.

Hearing the Ambrosia tune slowly fading, he heeded Rocket's harsh advice and snatched up his remote for his stereo and select the randomize feature.

He chuckled humorlessly to himself which turned into full blown laughter when The Five Stairsteps 'O-o-h Child' began. Peter rolled onto his back, rubbing his face vigorously, his hands lingered in his hair as he contemplated the coincidence of this song being the first to play outside his mopey playlist he had been clinging to as of late.

As the song played on, a new realization filled him.

This was what life was about. For the first time in his adult life, he had fallen hard for a woman and ended up with his heart broken in the end. As much as all this sucked, Peter knew that he had to keep going.

He would love Dani with everything he was for the rest of his life, but he needed to move on.

Sitting up and laying her pillow back down at the head of the bed, Peter rolled his head, hearing his neck pop a few times out of stiffness. Thinking even more on what Rocket said, he tentatively took a sniff of his underarm, his eyes widening dramatically.

"Damn you, rodent, for being right. For once." 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

**Four Months After **

Dani sat in the grass; the ground was still damp from the torrential rainfall a week ago. Her back side was soaked but she didn't have it in her to care. She somberly raised her eyes up to the gravestone in front of her.

**Terrance Anthony Patrick**

**September 25, 1979 – December 26, 2014**

**Brother Son Soul Mate**

**Though You May Be Gone, Your Spirit Lives with Those Who Loved You Most**

Five Months.

It felt more like years to Dani. Each day seemed to never end and when it finally did, it closed with Dani lying in her bed, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest as she sobbed.

She cried for her brother, her parents, for her friends who were somewhere halfway across the galaxy. Every night, Dani said a silent prayer for their safety. She prayed that they were all alive and that their lives were full and that they were happy.

Despite this, there were times though when she was feeling especially weak that she allowed herself to think about one in particular.

Peter, her Star Lord.

Most of the time, she had to force herself to push any thought of him to the back of her mind. Whenever her treacherous thoughts strayed to his handsome face, the support beams Dani was rebuilding in her heart splintered and came crashing down into rubble, sending her spiraling down a hole of self-loathing. Originally, she had herself convinced that leaving was for the best and that she would feel the loss of his presence less and less.

Yet, the more time passed, the emptier she felt inside. Like she was being hollowed out.

She found herself wondering from time to time if it was possible to die from a broken heart. She had no appetite, no energy for the things that she used to love, even dancing felt forced and unbearable.

At the rate the ever-growing hole in her chest expanded, she wondered morosely if it was only a matter of time before she would be laid to rest, next to Terry and her parents.

A sick and tiny yet still present part wondered if it would be better to just not feel anymore.

To just let go and not have to endure every empty day without her other half.

Dani was tired of trying, of even existing and it scared her.

She had chosen the wrong path; Dani knew that now. She voluntarily broke herself with all good intentions and had no idea on how to fix it.

"Hey. Can we talk?"

Dani tore her gaze from Terry's tombstone to look up at the speaker.

Amelia stood awkwardly back a few feet away. She offered her hand to assist in helping Dani up which she glared at the offered gesture, ice hardening in her eyes.

Ignoring the boost up, she stood up, brushing the dirt and dewy grass off her jeans before stomping purposely away.

"Dani! Please, talk to me! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I've apologized over and over." Amelia called out in distress, following her friend who steadily ignored her.

"You are right. I should've said something sooner. Terry was going to tell you that night, that was the main reason he returned to St. Charles." Amelia still pleaded, now chasing after Dani.

Dani fumed quietly. In her opinion, Amelia had no right to even speak of her brother. Not after what she did.

"Screw this." The redhead huffed, fully running to pass her up and swing around to block Dani's determined retreat to her Outback. By god, she was going to listen to what she had to say.

She slowed, not making eye contact.

"Get out of my way, Mitchell." She whispered, barely restrained in her anger.

Not taking that as an answer, Amelia stood her ground, crossing her arms and bracing her feet firmly apart.

"Not until we talk."

Dani clenched her jaw, anger spiking through her veins. "Move or I'll move you."

"I don't give a rat's ass if SheRa taught you how to kill a man with your pinkie or whatever. You wanna hit me then just do it and get it out of your system. I need my friend back.' She paused, her voice wavering. 'It's killing me to see you like this."

Taking a steady breath for composure, Dani tightened her denim jacket around her.

"Fine. You wanna talk? We'll talk. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did I have to receive a call through the coroner's office instead of the woman who claims to love me like a sister?" She asked, her voice ice hard.

"He was dead, Dani. I didn't think it would make a difference. The cancer had spread too far through his body for any type of treatment to help. Docs said he had only months left. He was going to tell you the night we were taken. I think he only told me when we were transported because, in his mind, he was already dead and there was nothing left to lose." Amelia slowed, gathering herself.

"We thought we'd never see you, see home again. I was too chicken shit to tell you. I couldn't bare putting you through any more pain…"

"But you told Peter?"

Dani had piece his odd behavior together on her own from the night before the stadium infiltration.

"I was going to tell you, but I didn't know how. I thought that Peter would be able to give me advice on how to break the terrible news to you. And well, I was also hoping that I wouldn't have to. If Terry had survived the rescue, he would've wanted to be the one to tell you-"

At that point, Amelia's composure finally crumbled, her voice breaking and a stray tear running down her cheek.

"I'm so, so sorry, Dani." She was fully crying now, weakening the hardened resolve that Dani had been clinging to the past few months.

Amelia had been right; she should have told Dani instead of keeping her silence. It was a rotten thing to do but upon finally hearing her out, she did realize that Amelia's hesitance was warranted.

Terry was already dead, and she simply wanted to spare Dani anymore heartache. She couldn't fault her for that, not anymore.

Unable to stand stonily back, she stepped forward, wrapping Amelia up in a firm embrace, tears of her own pricking away at her eyes. Now was not the time for Dani to cry. She already had a nightly ritual of that, and she didn't need anymore of it in her life if she could help it.

After a few, gut wrenching moments, Amelia slowly pulled back, sniffling as her mascara ran from her puffy eyes. Dani grimaced, reaching up and wiping at her friend's face gently.

"How about we go home? I'll make some tea; we'll talk more and catch up. Is that okay?" She suggested, receiving a shaky nod.

"Only if it's spiked."

Dani laughed as she turned, leading Amelia towards her vehicle.

"As if there's any other way to drink it." 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	25. Send Up A Signal, I'll Throw You A Line

***A/N: Hello, two days in a row! Heck yeah. I wanted to let you all know that I'll update again as soon as I can. I've actually been juggling a couple different stories I've been working on. A Magnificent Seven fic with Josh Faraday/OFC and (don't laugh) an old Twilight story with Carlisle Cullen/OFC I began a few years back that I recently had a calling to try and finish. I'll be posting them both on here at some point if anyone is interested in checking them out.**

**Side note: I apologize for the god awful bold font of my last chapter. I forgot to change the font type when I was typing it up. Won't happen again. Also, no song inserts this chapter except maybe for the chapter title. I love that song from Billy Joel.**

**Anyway, enjoy and drop me a review if you so please.**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Send Up A Signal, I'll Throw You A Line**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The two women curled up on the large cream-colored couch in Dani's den, spiked tea resting in hand on their laps as the caught up. They hadn't spoken in so long, there's was much to catch up on. Amelia updated her on her nephews' latest shenanigans. It would seem the boys kept her sister particularly busy and on her toes.

"He did not do that?" Dani asked incredulously, covering her mouth with her hand in mild surprise and to also to hold back laughter. Amelia giggled unceremoniously, nodding with vigor.

"The janitors are still trying in vain to scrub the spray paint off. I'm sure that my sister will have Drew grounded until he's middle aged."

Dani shook her head, chuckling to herself. "I don't know how Sera does it. Five boys and all by herself. That woman has balls and nerves of steel. Well, not all by herself, at least she has you."

Amelia's smile turned bittersweet as she looked at Dani. "And not to beat a dead horse, she has you to thank for that. Not that I can ever tell her what really happened. She'd have me committed."

Dani peeked her head up to glance back. "Our story still intact?"

The redhead's smile tightened into a grimace, nodding. "Yeah. Everyone still thinks that Terry and I ran off together to spend his final days on some isolated stretch of island. It was hard though, explaining his injuries. I guess gas grills can explode at any time, under the right circumstances."

Not wanting to dwell on this topic anymore, Dani switched gears.

"Well, you're here. That's what matters. Besides, I didn't do it alone. I had help." She trailed off, her mind clouding again from the painful reminder of what she had given up.

Amelia eyed her carefully before she voiced what was on her mind.

"So, onto other matters.' Amelia set her mug down and reached into her sweater pocket, producing the transponder that Gamora had given to Dani for her to contact them if she chose to. 'I found this on the kitchen counter when I was getting a refill."

She handed it over to Dani, who absently spun it around with her fingertips.

"Thanks." Dani replied then went quiet, staring at the metal object longingly, her face contorting into what she hoped was indifference. Amelia, however, wasn't fooled by her attempt.

"You carry it around with you, don't you?" She questioned, keenly watching the blonde's response.

Dani remained silent, swallowing down a lump of unbridled emotion that was eating away at her chest.

"Have you thought about using it?"

_**(Boy, that's a loaded question.)**_

She snorted a short laugh, not really finding it humorous.

"I'd say about every ten seconds everyday but who's keeping track? Besides, that would be a half lie." She finally responded, holding the transponder close to her chest.

"What do you mean?"

Dani took a large gulp of her scalding tea and whiskey, biting back a cough.

"I've already pressed it." She confessed.

Amelia's eyes widened in wonder, excitement coursing through her. "Really? When? Have you heard anything?"

Dani glanced over at the grandfather clock over her shoulder nestled in the corner of the den.

"Approximately 62 days, 4 hours and 23 minutes ago. Not that I'm counting and every day, twice a day since. I don't think they're coming… or they don't care…" Her voice hitched. The thought tore at her.

The thought that Peter wanted nothing to do with her was worse. She could hardly blame him if that was the case. Amelia reached forward, rubbing her hand up and down Dani's shoulder to comfort her.

"Hey. I seriously doubt that's the issue. As I said before, Peter worships you. Maybe it's something else entirely."

The statement didn't comfort Dani. It was too open ended.

"That worries me more. What if something happened to them? To him? What if he's…." Dani couldn't finish, unable to.

This was her biggest fear, that something had happened to them and she had no way of ever finding out if they were okay. The possibility of her friends and Peter not wanting her back was unbearable to contemplate but the alternative? That was the one possibility that she couldn't survive.

Her whole universe felt meaningless if her Peter wasn't, at least, alive, if not a part of it.

"Don't think like that, Dee! I'm sure that's not what's going on. The battery might be dead." She offered, trying to be helpful.

Dani smirked sarcastically, lifting the device up. "Light is on. It also beeps when I press it."

Her smile turned sad. "Thanks though."

She inhaled sharply, rubbing at her face then threw the device onto the coffee table with a clatter.

"No real point in trying anymore."

Amelia scrunched her face up in deep thought, eyeing the device then Dani and then back again. She snatched it off the table and pressed it in Dani's hand.

"Once more. For me. I'll be your lucky charm. They might have the volume turned down somewhere." Amelia responded, optimistically. She'd be damned if she would let Dani give up on any chance of finding her happily ever after.

She deserved it.

Scoffing momentarily with a shake of her head, Dani eyed the transponder briefly before glancing back up. "Seriously?"

She received a firm nod from Amelia. "You better 'interstellar page' his fine ass right this moment."

Appraising the device in her hand, a ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"Alright, if you say so, just don't expect the instant gratification of Peter busting down the door on a white steed."

Amelia's smile widened wistfully. There was her best friend, her sister she had been missing. Such a smart ass.

"Dammit, just do it already."

Dani took a deep breath then pressed the button on the top, silently praying for a miracle.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sitting in his captain's chair, Peter's eyes scanned the upcoming horizon peeking up into the windshield of the Milano's cock pit. The small red planet they were approaching glimmered brightly out ahead of them. He took in the bright blue rings circling the planet, the glittering red clouds that made up its atmosphere was a sight to behold.

_**(Dani would have loved to see this.)**_

Peter visibly grimaced from thinking of her.

Too painful.

Forcing that thought out of his head, he turned his attention back to his console in front of him. A bright yellow light flashed across his screen, annoying the hell out of him in two seconds flat. He groaned, smacking the screen to shut it off, which never worked. The light appeared a few months ago out of nowhere, blinking obnoxiously twice a day then shut itself off after a few moments.

"Dammit, Rocket! I thought you said you were going to fix this piece of shit. That yellow light is blinking again." He yelled over his shoulder.

Rocket hopped up into his copilot's chair, strapping himself in.

"I've tried everything. Short of rewiring the entire motherboard for the mainframe, I'm out of ideas on what's causing it. I know it's not a 'Check Engine' light so don't worry about your precious ship."

"I thought you were a helluva mechanic?" Peter teased, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he flew.

"Hey! I do everything around here. You would all be dead if it wasn't for me or did you already forget about that fiasco last week with those lunatic beekeepers on Heliathon?"

Peter flushed uncomfortably, his eyes darting around.

"We said we weren't ever going to talk about that again."

A deep laugh erupted menacingly to his left.

"You said that, not me. Oh, Quill, that was a beautiful 'I Told You So' day for me. There's no way I can let you live that down."

Peter growled angrily in annoyance, shooting proverbial daggers at him with his eyes.

"Besides, Gamora should be calling to check in any time now. I've been meaning to ask her if she has any ideas on what's causing that menace of a blink."

Right on cue, Peter's screen lit up, a ringing noise echoed through the hull. Gamora's still shot popped up on the screen. He swiped on it, accepting the transmission. A holographic screen materialized in front of Peter and Rocket, Gamora's face appearing before them.

"Hey there, stranger. How's things with your psycho sister going? You two bonding over nail polish and boys? I hope you two aren't quizzing each other with those romantic surveys in 'Cosmo'. It's all bologna. No man's dream date is a walk on the beach at sunset while holding hands." Peter sarcastically commented, smiling up at the screen. He hoped that Nebula was nearby to hear him.

A loud banging, like something being thrown, on the other end of the transmission validated his hopes.

"I can hear you, Asshole!" Nebula's angry voice roared from somewhere off screen.

He smiled wider. "Such a charmer."

Gamora rolled in eyes, her head lolling to the side in the process.

"Would you two just stop? You'd think after what happened on Ego that the two of you would at least try and be civil." She snapped, glancing at Peter then off screen, presumably to her sister.

"He started it!"

Gamora chose to ignore the petty comment. "So, how's things going on the Milano?"

Peter shrugged.

"Same as always. Drax is good, he's downstairs watching that dumb, vampire porn show." He replied. He snapped his head down and to the side as a booming voice reverberated from downstairs.

"It's not dumb! You're dumb! Sookie can't decide on who she wants to be in a relationship with and she just chose neither of them. Mantis says she should choose Eric, but Bill is clearly the better choice.' Drax yelled. 'Hi, Gamora."

"Hello Drax."

"I thought she was with the brunette guy?" Rocket asked perplexed. Peter turned to him.

"No, he lied to her and she left him and started knocking boots with Eric." He explained.

"The blonde?"

"Yeah."

Rocket huffed. "I hate him. He's a douche."

Gamora cleared her throat. "Um, still here, guys."

Peter turned himself back to the screen. "Sorry. While we got you, I wanted to pick your brain about something."

"Okay, shoot."

"We have a flashing yellow alert light that has been popping up on my screen and we can't figure out what it is. Rocket ran diagnostics and he can't place where it's coming from." Peter explained as he swiped his screen, pulling up the test reports they ran to show her. Gamora scanned the report, her eyes slowly widening as a realization dawned on her.

"The light. Is it flashing on Peter's console saying, 'Alert Request: Code 357'?"

Peter nodded, feeling relieved that she seemed to know what the problem is. "Yeah, do you know what it is?"

She ignored him.

"How long has it been doing this?" She demanded, sounding agitated.

"Eh, I'd say twice a day for approximately two months now. I'd been meaning to ask you when you called in, but it kept slipping my mind." Rocket chimed in.

Gamora's face fell, setting Peter into worry mode. This couldn't be a good thing.

"What does it mean?"

"TWO MONTHS?! Are you kidding me, Rocket?" She yelled, her voice raising a few octaves. She glanced quickly over to Peter.

"Peter, punch Rocket for me."

The raccoon appeared scandalized by the threat. "Excuse me? What did I do?" He threw his hands up in defense.

Gamora face palmed herself, mumbling incoherently before speaking at a more appropriate level.

"I came to you after the Ego incident before I left with Nebula and told you all about the possibility of that particular alert and what it meant, you flea bitten moron.' Gamora snapped viciously. 'She's been waiting for two months! She probably thinks we abandoned her."

Peter was already sick and tired being left out of the loop. "What is going on?"

Rocket's face slackened as he recalled the conversation that Gamora and he had. It was over four months ago. How should he have remembered all the details of what they discussed?

He glanced nervously to Peter, chuckling awkwardly. Man, he was going to be pissed.

"Funny story actually-"

"No, save the theatrics. What's going on?" Peter demanded, frustrated.

"Peter." Gamora's soft tone caught him off guard, pulling his gaze back to the screen.

"It's Dani. She's reaching out."

She launched into the whole story of how she had given the transponder to Dani if she ever changed her mind and wanted to come back.

Peter's face hardened as he listened, his eyes bouncing around erratically as he processed what this meant.

Could this really mean what he thought it meant? His mind raced with all the possibilities. Did Dani really change her mind about them? About this life?

About being with him?

Hope blossomed in his chest, the first feeling of joy he felt in months, beginning to take hold. As quickly as the excitement had begun, another thought popped into his head, bursting that little joyous bubble that had begun to grow.

Maybe it wasn't for that reason at all.

Maybe she left something aboard the ship that she wanted returned to her. Or that she just wanted to check in on how everyone else was doing. Maybe he shouldn't entertain the idea of her wanting him back. Peter wouldn't survive the crushing weight of rejection that would wash over him if that was the case.

Silently seeking confirmation, his gaze moved back to Gamora who smiled knowingly, already guessing at his inner turmoil.

"Twice a day for two months? That's dedication. You have your answer already, Quill.' She simply said. 'Make sure you give her my love and that I'll see her again one day soon."

Gamora leaned forward, switching off the screen, successfully ending the transmission.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gamora slumped back in her cockpit chair, taking a steadying breath before turning to look over at her sister who was flying the space craft along steadily.

Nebula's black eyes hesitantly flitted over to Gamora, unasked questions evident in her expression.

"What's on your mind, Sister?"

Nebula's gaze shot forward, as though she was retreating from the idea of having any emotion at all. The silence dragged on for a while, neither woman knowing really what to say.

"I don't understand you." Nebula finally stated. The observation was quiet; Gamora had nearly missed her saying anything at all. Her dark eyebrow quirked slightly at her sister's words, mildly surprised.

"How so?" She inquired, now intrigued as to why Nebula said this.

Silence. At least for a long awkward moment.

"You say that you love him, for some god awful and mind-boggling reason. Yet he clearly loves another. Then you actively do what you can to reunite them. Why?"

Gamora pondered her words, allowing them to fully absorb and contemplate her own answer before speaking. It was hard for either sister to voice their feelings yet, with time, it slowly began to become a bit easier.

A small smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

"It's true. I do love Peter, I probably always will but I love my family more and Dani is a part of my family. I want her to be happy. For Peter to be happy, even if it's not me that does so."

Nebula's frown deepened.

"This Dani can't mean that much to you."

The smile still graced Gamora's lips, turning playful. "She sorts of grows on you. You'll see one day."

Nebula merely grunted in response, deciding to change the subject.

"We're only a few days out from the Sanctuary."

The playful smile vanished from Gamora's face.

"I still say this is foolish, a suicide mission, if you will. Thanos is too powerful. He will have no qualms with killing us both. You know that."

Her sister's face hardened with determined resolve, a harsh glint of vengeance shining in her dark eyes.

"Whatever it takes, we will make him pay for what he has done to us. I promise you, Sister. He will pay." The finality in her voice set Gamora's nerves on edge.

She knew she was right; this was a suicide run but Gamora, now reunited with her sister, couldn't allow Nebula to face him alone. She had failed her so many times; Gamora had to right this unbalance somehow.

Though, certain death wasn't what she had in mind when she left for a sabbatical with Nebula.

"I know." Gamora whispered, turning away to star watch out her window.

As her sister flew, Gamora slid her eyes closed, allowing her mind to wander. Images of promised girls' night of binge drinking and dancing with Dani offered a small amount of solace in light of what was to come.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After the transmission ended, Peter made a split-second decision.

Gamora was right, she had to be.

Two months was dedication.

Flipping a couple of switches, he disengaged the nav and changed the Milano's course, heading away from the planet that had been their original destination.

"What are you doing?" Rocket asked in disbelief. Even Peter wouldn't be this foolish to piss off more of their 'customers'. They had an agreement to uphold.

"We're making a side trip to Earth really quick." Peter replied, setting a new course in the nav system.

Rocket's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? We have a loading bay full of illegal things that Princess will not want to know about, and you want to fly a full week out of the way with said contraband in our hold? We are expected today, Quill. You don't piss these people off. Did I forget anything of our dire situation?"

"Nope." He offhandedly replied, popping the 'P' as he flew the Milano at full speed away.

Rocket groaned loudly in exasperation, pulling at the fur on top of his head.

"This is somehow worse than Heliathon. You're gonna get us killed, all for some nookie." He muttered, settling himself into his chair again. Peter chose to ignore him.

Drax popped his head up into the cockpit, his bald dome visible between Rocket and Peter's chairs.

"Is it true? Are we really going to get Dani?"

"It would seem so, big guy. Prepare for a second season of 'Two Hummies Constantly Humping and Fighting'. That's what's it gonna be like around here from now on." Rocket snipped, not even bothering to mask the agitation he was feeling.

It's not like he had anything against Princess anymore but taking this 'side trip', their clients were not going to be happy and the fallout was gonna be bad.

"I don't know what any of that is supposed to mean.' Drax responded, a cheery smile enveloping his face. 'But if Dani's coming back, awesome."

He popped back downstairs like a prairie dog retreating into its hole; his voice carrying up into the cockpit.

"Mantis, you're going to meet our Earth friend. The one I told you about."

Peter, at his controls, smiled widely to himself, grinning like a fool as he pushed the gear shift forward, moving the Milano at a faster rate.

_**(Hang on, Dani. I'm coming.)**_

His eyes trailed down, eyeing the protective cover of the ship's turbo boost, his fingers twitching as he fought the urge to push it. Rocket followed his gaze.

"Don't even think about it, lover boy."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	26. Did You Miss Me?

****A/N: _MATURE CHAPTER AVAILABLE_ **

**Hello again! Just to let everyone know in case anyone was wondering, the last chapter highlighted the events in my AU after the events of GOTG Vol. 2. As is such, the budding romance of Gamora and Peter clearly did not happen in this story. The events just occurred per canon bits just with the sexual and emotional tension between Gamora and Peter being omitted. So, with no blossoming relationship to explore, that's why Gamora went off with Nebula, just for a short bit mind you. **

**Anyway, I do hope you all are enjoying the story, it's getting close to the end with only a few more chapters to go. I won't say how many but I don't want to drag it out to the point of boredom. Enjoy!**

**Song Inserts:**

**The Jackson 5- I'll Be There (don't worry, you'll see it, LOL)**

**Janis Joplin- Piece of My Heart **

**Lynryd Skynyrd- Free Bird**

**The Ronettes- Be My Baby (This and the two above it are just passing themes, you'll see them.)**

**Chapter Twenty Six: Did You Miss Me?**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There was not much to do in the little farm town of St. Charles, Missouri on a Saturday night. The weekend night usually constituted of teenagers hanging out in the back-parking lot of the local grocery store, their various makes of cars and trucks clustered together in packs of clichés while the youngsters goofed off and behaved, well, like teenagers.

The only real hangout for the adults of St. Charles was one of two bars, Stella's Tavern and its competition, The Watering Hole.

The latter of the two was where Dani found herself on that night. Amelia, officially fed up with Dani's recluse behavior, dragged her out for a night of drinks and low-end karaoke.

Once again, karaoke.

The true testament of one's character, especially on self-control.

Still, Dani promised to Amelia, and herself, that things needed to change. Her biological family was gone but life kept moving forward. As for the love of her life, Peter was no longer apart of the grand scheme and she couldn't wallow away in exile any longer.

So here she is, leaning against the glossy wood of the bar counter, attempting to hail down the busy bartender, Jessa from the other end of the bustling bar. Marcus, the other bartender, was nowhere to be seen, most likely he snuck off into the stock room with a cute little brunette that had been making goo goo eyes at him all night.

Sighing quietly, Dani leaned forward more against the counter, in dire need of a mojito if she was to continue enduring the nerve-wracking noise radiating from the front end of the establishment. Blessedly, there was a break in songs as the bar pa system played Janis Joplin's 'Piece of My Heart'. Dani hummed thoughtfully to the tune, it was one of her favorites and always Zened her out.

The break was short lived though as the DJ called up one of the locals, Eric Lahey, who began belting out a mediocre rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Free Bird', a bottle of beer in one hand and microphone in the other as he drunkenly crooned the classic off time. The lyrics hadn't even started yet.

Dani groaned.

She glanced over again to Jessa, finally catching the younger blonde's attention. She held her hand up, a desperate smile on her face and she signaled her need of a drink. Jessa held a finger up for her to wait a moment as she finished another customer's beverage.

Dani nodded, glancing back around the packed bar to occupy herself while she waited. Her green eyes widened when her gaze moved behind her to the back of the bar. Her brain must be playing tricks on her. For the briefest moment, she could have sworn that she spotted Peter amid the many faces moving through the bar. Her body moved on its own, taking a tentative step from her spot, craning her neck past a couple that had walked in front of her towards the door that led outside. She searched frantically once they passed but the illusion had disappeared as quickly as it started.

Dani's heart squeezed painfully as she swallowed back a lump of sadness and disappointment that lodged itself in her throat. Giving her head a quick shake to get her thoughts in order, she turned back to the bar just in time for Jessa to move over to serve her next.

"Another Sprite, Dani?" She asked, her voice conveying the rush that she was in.

"No, a mojito actually. I wasn't planning on drinking, but karaoke calls for a drink. Where did Marcus run off to?"

Jessa gave her a short but comical glare, shaking her head in annoyance.

"He said he was going to get another case of beer but I'm not naïve. He's back in the stock room having a quickie with that damn Merrick girl. That kid can't keep it in his pants for a single shift. He keeps that up, Isaac is going to can his ass." The bartender sneered angrily, putting excessive force into crushing up the mint leaves for her drink. Dani noticed this but chose to play oblivious, the poor girl was stressed enough.

"Not like Isaac is here to catch him." Dani observed, gesturing to the crowd, pointing out to the lack of the bar owner. This comment brought a vindictive smile to Jessa's face.

"Oh, he has his coming. Marcus doesn't know it, but Isaac finally fixed that busted surveillance camera in the stock room. He is in for one helluva show."

Dani smiled widely, chuckling to herself as she paid for her drink with her card. "Poor little horndog Marcus."

Jessa shrugged indifferently, thanking Dani for the tip she added. "His fault. Maybe I can finally get someone worthwhile here to help."

A thought occurred to Dani.

"Well, not to be crude, but if that does happen, you should put in a good word for Amelia. She's been looking for a gig since she's no longer at the coffee shop." Dani suggested, receiving a thoughtful nod from Jessa.

"In a heartbeat. I think Amelia would be a good fit. Tell her to call Isaac in a few days."

"Will do. Thanks, Jessa."

Making her way back to her table, Dani carefully moved and dodged around the many patrons. Spotting Amelia, she gave her an exasperated look as she settled back into her seat at the small square table.

"About damn time. I thought I was going to need to send out Search and Rescue." Amelia bantered, lifting her drink to her face to take a sip. Feeling a little buzzed, the redhead comically chased the miniature straw around with her mouth. Dani snorted, her mood lightening considerably.

"Maybe you have had enough. You're being bested by a plastic straw."

Amelia rubbed at a pretend itch on her cheek with her middle finger, directing the gesture towards her friend causing her to laugh loudly in amusement.

"Wow, really. That's an oldie. I hope you dusted that off before you used it." Dani shot back playfully, taking a small sip of her mojito.

The wailing voice of an older woman singing 'Be My Baby' by The Ronettes who shouldn't be trusted with a turned-on microphone permeated the room, making a cringe rip through both Dani and Amelia.

Groaning, Dani rubbed her forehead with her hand, working hard on her left temple. "Please tell me why I allowed you to drag me here. I hate karaoke, you hate karaoke. This makes no sense. Why torture ourselves willingly?"

Her friend lifted her glass of Long Island Iced Tea. "We came for the booze or at least, I did.' She looked down at the alcoholic beverage in Dani's hand. 'And it looks like Karaoke Night finally wore you down, prude."

"We can have drinks at home without the ear-splitting noise." She remarked, pointing out the obvious.

"YOU needed to get out of the house. Besides, it's entertainment!"

"It's cruel and unusual punishment. The equivalent of waterboarding."

Amelia gave her a pointed stare that didn't reach the rest of her face. The stare melted into a knowing smile that threw Dani for a loop.

"What's that about?"

Her friend shrugged, casting an aloof air as she casually took another sip.

"Nothing. Am I not allowed to express any emotion?" Amelia responded indifferently but Dani knew her too well.

"What are you keeping to yourself? I know that look." She dug, curious now. Amelia's eyes scanned the room, seeming to search for something or someone.

"So, where's Marcus? I haven't seen him in a hot minute." The redhead observed, obviously attempting to change the topic.

About a half hour later, Dani finished the last of her mojito, stretching her stiff arms up. She pulled her cell out of her jacket pocket from the back of her chair, seeing the time.

"It's 11:00, Amelia and I'm just not feeling the atmosphere anymore. I'm going to call for a taxi and head home. I've had enough." Dani said as she pulled open her phone's contacts, searching for the local taxi service number. Amelia had drove them here and her friend was most certainly not driving anytime soon. Moving at a speed that startled Dani to the point where she jumped in her chair, Amelia snatched Dani's phone out of her hand and shoved it into her jacket, zipping said pocket shut.

Dani watched her actions, completely bewildered. "What the actual hell, Amelia?!' She extended her arm out with a firm look. 'Give me my phone back."

"You can't leave, not yet.' Amelia paused, glancing at the phone quickly. 'Just stay a little longer. Pretty please?"

She raised a questioning eyebrow, silently asking why she should.

"Just trust me please."

Relenting, Dani popped her neck, her gaze flitting to the karaoke set up briefly before landing on her friend. "Okay, a little longer but next round on you, mooch."

Smiling brightly, Amelia snatched their glasses off the table, popped up and all but ran towards the bar, nearly taking out Mr. Watkins-err- Allan- to be correct, as he made his way to the men's room. Allan had been the high school principal when they were teenagers, having since retired and Dani still tripped up and called him Mr. or Sir sometimes.

"Sorry, Allan, my bad!" Amelia called over her shoulder as she continued rushing away. He shot her a disapproving glare.

"Slow down, Mitchell, I see some things never change." He called back then resumed his original course to relieve himself.

She was back in record time with their drinks, still grinning madly as she settled back into her seat. Her behavior had Dani full blown curious at this point.

"You are in high spirits. Care to clue me in?"

Amelia shook her head, taking a sip of her spiked tea, nearly giddy as she fidgeted in her seat.

"Nope."

Dani absently heard the karaoke DJ call up the next victim—singer—for the next song as the crowd gave the typical light applause that was to be expected. The DJ was speaking, saying something along the lines of the song choice was a dedication to someone but Dani was too invested in finding out what was going on with Amelia to fully pay attention. She was staring wide eyed over Dani's shoulder, glee filling out her face at whatever she was seeing.

"Why don't you just tell me? You know I don't like being out of the loop on—"

"Would you shut up and just listen for once in your life!?" Amelia squeaked out, physically leaning forward and turning Dani's face towards the karaoke table at the front end of the establishment.

Dani meant to snap off at Amelia until she heard the next singer speak; it was a voice that she could pick out of a crowd of millions, one she had been longing to hear once again. The singer had said two words that stopped her heart.

_**(Sun Ray.)**_

Whipping her head back around at a breakneck speed, Dani searched for the voice's owner in the dimly lit and smoke-filled bar. Her stomach leapt up into her throat and her heart squeezed painfully again as her eyes landed on the most handsome face in all the stars. She white knuckle clenched the edge of the table, grounding herself because there was no way that her eyes could be right. No way that her Peter was standing not even a hundred feet away in front of the karaoke table, microphone in hand, as he looked directly at her. With a longing on his face that surely paled in comparison to what was surely on her own as her mouth dropped open in stunned surprise. Her perverse and desperate mind was simply torturing Dani, procuring an image of the one person in all of creation that she wanted, needed to see the most.

A strangled sob tore from her throat when the hallucination smiled that crooked smirk that set her heart fluttering. He lifted the microphone to his lips.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, Dani, my little Sun Ray. I just found out you were trying to reach out to me; I wasn't ignoring you and I'm sorry for not getting here sooner. We've known each other since birth. You've always been there for me, even when you weren't physically there when I was 'abroad'. Even when I couldn't be there for you. You're my best friend, my rock, the love of my life."

He paused, gathering his emotions before continuing.

"Whatever you want to do, wherever you want to be, I'll be there. Whether it's here or 'travelling', I'm never leaving your side as long as that's what you want."

Peter glanced around the crowd, swallowing thickly as he took in the many, many eyes on him. "Which I'm hoping, praying actually, is for quite a long time since I'm embarrassing the hell out of myself right now in a room full of strangers." He joked, receiving a mild amount of laughter and applause from the crowd.

He smiled briefly, feeling slightly more confidant from the praise, his eyes finding Dani once again. "I'm singing this for you, love, because I'll always be there."

A slow piano opening began, filling the spacious room. Dani, unable to believe what was happening, slowly slid her eyes shut, tremendous joy enveloping her soul at Peter's declaration as The Jackson 5's 'I'll Be There' played.

_You and I must make a pact_

_We must bring salvation back_

Dani's eyes flew open; she had never heard Peter sing before.

"WOW! Who knew that Hot Pants could sing?" She faintly heard Amelia say through the swelling of appreciation of the crowd around them, obviously thrilled by someone who could sing well. His voice was steady and pleasing to the ear, a faint twang of his Midwest accent from his younger years evident as he sang.

All the noise, the people, everything else faded away for Dani as she listened to Peter, his gaze acting as magnet for her own.

_And oh- I'll be there to comfort you_

_Build my world of dreams around you, I'm so glad that I found you_

_I'll be there with a love that's strong_

_I'll be your strength, I'll keep holding on- yes, I will, yes, I will_

_Let me fill your heart with joy and laughter_

_Togetherness, well that's all I'm after_

_Whenever you need me_

_I'll be there_

Halfway through the song, Peter paused in his singing, watching her intently from across the room, taking in the joyful tears streaming down her face. He mouthed 'I Love You', cracking all of Dani's grounded resolve.

Shoving her chair back as she stood, Dani found herself moving forward, moving gently at first then breaking out into a gait that bordered running towards him. All thoughts that there were others in the room were gone, she only had eyes for Peter.

As for Peter, seeing Dani rushing towards him, he purposely dropped the microphone onto the table behind him, no longer caring about the rest of the song and took a few steps forward. He stopped, bracing himself as Dani closed the distance between them, flinging herself into his open arms, wrapping tightly around him like a coil. He crushed her against him, never wanting her out of his embrace again. Peter hoisted her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his. Dani incessantly kissed his neck, face, mouth and anywhere she could reach.

"Oh, Peter. I love you! I love you, I'm sorry. I was such an idiot. I'm so, so sorry." She apologized profusely over and over; her voice muffled every time she kissed him. Peter shushed her with his lips, pulling a moan from both. The gaping hole in Dani's chest quickly filled itself in with everything that was Peter.

"It's all right, love, it's all right. You're back in my arms right where you belong, that's all that matters. All I care about."

His words sent an electric shock through her system, like a jump start to her dormant heart. Peter pulled her back to him, not being able to stand not kissing Dani in the numerous months of emotional hell.

It was then that they remembered where they were as a growing applause sounded around them, pulling them out of their reconciliation bubble.

"Well, they won't be needing me anymore. My congratulations to the two of you.' The DJ spoke up into his microphone, a smile on his face as he ended the Jackson 5 song. 'There will be another short break and then next up is Lorrie."

Completely ignoring the DJ, Peter placed Dani back down to her feet.

"How did you—how did you know I was here? You were amazing by the way." She stuttered in wonderment at the spectacle she just witnessed.

Peter chuckled, holding her tight around her waist while his other hand ran through her curly, loose hair.

"That's a long story. Let's just say that you have a dear friend who cares about you and wanted to surprise you. A dear friend who answered the door when I stopped by your house earlier and you weren't home. She filled me in on where you two were headed tonight and said that I should surprise. 'It'll be so epic' were her words. It was all Amelia's idea." He replied, pointing behind her.

Amelia stepped over to them, smiling enormously as she held out Dani's jacket, phone and the keys to her own Ford Focus.

"Get out of here, you crazy kids." She pushed the keys and Dani's belongings into her trembling hands.

"YOU! I don't know whether to kiss you or punch you, Miss Mitchell." Dani said, still shaken up, causing Amelia to laugh jovially.

"I think a simple 'thank you' would suffice. Hot Pants might enjoy the show too much if we start necking. Save the getting hot and bothered for at home."

Dani then noticed the keys in her hand. "How are you getting back?"

Amelia shrugged, waving dismissively.

"Sera's coming by to pick me up later. I'm staying at her place tonight so you two can be alone and, catch up." She said, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Dani reached for her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"You sure?"

"YES! Now go and have lots of unbridled, passionate sex. The kinkier, the better."

Dani's face flushed as she snagged Peter's hand, pulling him away.

"And not in my car! I just had it cleaned." Amelia hollered quite loudly after them.

"I mean it! Nothing past second base, Dee!"

Dani tightened her grip on his hand, pulling him away even quicker, ignoring the knowing looks they received by some of the bar patrons as they scurried away.

"My god! Is it possible to love and hate someone as equally as I do the Unsinkable Amelia Mitchell?" She exclaimed, mostly to herself as they exited the building, making their way through the parking lot. Peter chuckled as he walked alongside her, hugging her closely around the shoulders as they went.

"She is a loud character but her heart's in the right place and she loves you dearly."

"Yeah. Yeah. I know." She added, unlocking the dark blue car.

Before she could open the driver's door, Peter spun her around, kissing her deeply and catching her off guard as he pressed against her, pushing her back against the car.

Slowly pulling back, he tenderly brushed her cheeks with his thumbs as he stroked her face. His smiling widening as he moved his gaze over her.

"God, I missed doing that." He whispered, his warm breath tickling her cheeks.

"Doing what?" She breathlessly asked as he slowly caressed her cheekbones once more.

"Making you blush.' He replied, his low, silky voice sending shivers up her spine. 'I love you."

Dani opened her mouth to repeat the same but paused, a sly smile developing as she bit her bottom lip in order not to laugh.

"I know." She responded, giving him some payback from the first time she declared her love and he said the same thing, even though she had jokingly begged him not to.

Peter narrowed his eyes playfully, a smirk tugging on those gorgeous lips of his.

"Oh, you…. You're going to regret that, missy."

She leaned up, skimming her mouth against his in a teasing motion before pulling back slightly, her lips brushing his as she spoke. "Sounds promising."

Peter leaned forward to capture her in another kiss, but Dani dodged him, laughing playfully. "Nope, later. Now get your sweet ass in the car."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

As Dani drove, Peter filled her in on how everyone was doing in her absence and what they had been up to. He explained about how he met his father, who turned out to be a genocidal god hell bent on destroying all life in the universe. About how he had to kill him in order to stop him. She stayed silent as she listened staring intently out the windshield. Her stomach felt unsettled by hearing the story; she didn't like how close of a call it had been for him and their friends.

"I can't believe that Ego put his extension here in St. Charles. I honestly didn't even think about that after the matter." He observed, looking out the window as they drove.

Dani swallowed uncomfortably. It had been a few weeks since the incident had occurred in St. Charles before she even knew about it. At the time, Dani had been pissed at Amelia for keeping Terry's illness a secret, so she had ignored her first few 'wellness' phone calls. She only answered once after the tenth phone call to yell into the phone that she didn't want to talk to her and to quit calling then hung up. Dani was not proud of that, looking back on the whole situation in hindsight. Not to mention, she rarely left her house for anything, so she received one hell of a surprise when she was driving down main street one day to pick up supplies.

"Yeah, took me a while to find out about it. I was going through a self-hating funk and barely left the house. Amelia and I weren't speaking at the time as well. I didn't really care about what was going on around me or for myself, to be honest." Dani admitted, feeling shameful.

She caught Peter glaring angrily at her from the corner of her eye. She sighed dejectedly, knowing already what was going on in his head.

"I had just lost my brother and on impulse, nearly destroyed 'us' so yes, I was in a bad place for a while."

"Still—"

"So, did I miss anything else?" She cut him off, desperate for a change of subject. Peter watched her quietly before deciding to let it go. As much as it pissed him off to hear how little Dani thought of herself during that time, it was in the past. Her and Amelia had made amends and now, he was here with her. That's all that mattered now. He moved on, telling her about Gamora taking off with her sister after the Ego incident. Saying that she needed to keep an eye on Nebula and ensure that she didn't get herself killed on her quest of getting revenge on their father, Thanos. He then filled her in on the death of Yondu and how badly it had shaken him which only confused her.

"So, let me get this straight. This is the guy that kidnapped you and you expect me to believe that you loved him?" Disbelief evident in her tone as Dani asked.

"Yes, he did but Yondu did raise me after all. It wasn't ideal. He had no clue as to what he was doing. But I know he cared; he also saved my ass more times than I care to count." Peter tried explaining the odd dynamic the two of them shared.

"Trouble that I'm sure he put you into." She rebuffed, anger creeping into her voice.

"Dani, I never had a father. Looking back now with a clear mind, he did the best he could. I couldn't see it before, but I do now. He was my father when I needed one."

Dani could hear the emotion building inside of him as he spoke of the dead man. Reaching over, she grasped his hand tightly in hers while she drove.

"He was your Hasselhoff. I get it. I may not like it, but I get it."

He smiled sadly, squeezing her hand with his. "Yeah, I guess so. You remembered."

Dani only nodded as they passed through St. Charles' city limits.

"I don't care how many times he 'saved your ass', Yondu still took you away from me but for your sake, I'll keep my opinion on him to myself from now on, baby."

Peter lifted her hand, brushing his lips softly on her knuckles in a tender kiss.

"Thank you."

They drove on in silence for a few minutes until Dani made a left turn, taking the longer way back to her home.

"I know it's been a while for me but isn't it faster the other way?" He inquired, pointing the opposite direction they were going.

"Yes, but the clean up from the 'Ego Goo' is still ongoing. It's a dead end further up."

Peter watched the landscape out his window, finally making out the devastation left behind by his real father as they drove by. He went deathly quiet as they passed the edge of the hardened mass, swallowing thickly as he surveyed where they were, mumbling incoherently.

"What was that?" She asked, not making out what he had said. Peter watched the farmland pass by them.

"I said two miles." He replied tightly.

"Um, ok. Two miles what?"

"Two miles from your house."

She was still lost as to what he was talking about.

"You're gonna need to explain your—"

"Two miles, Dani. That's how close I came to killing you."

She sighed heavily as she made the turn onto her road, the long driveway visible in the distance.

"Peter, that wasn't you, it was Ego. You said he was using you as some sort of battery. And I'm fine, I'm right here. Don't beat yourself up for something you couldn't control and that didn't happen anyway. You're not allowed to wallow in self-hatred, that's my bag." She tried to joke, hopefully to lighten the mood.

He didn't reply.

Pulling into the driveway of the guest house, she turned the car off and turned in her seat to give him her full attention.

"Oh, by the way, I'm not referring to you as a god just so you know. I doubt that the Earth's axis could withstand the weight of your ego if I did that."

The brooding expression slowly melted away, his eyes lighting up mischievously as he turned towards her. Dani reached up, placing her index finger to his lips, shushing him.

"I swear, if you make a sexual innuendo right now, I can't legally be held liable for what I may do." She teased.

She climbed out of the car, leading him towards the backdoor into the kitchen. A shrill shriek flew out of her as Peter ran up behind, scooping her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"I'll take these." He snatched her keys out of her hand mid lift. Laughing, Dani playfully swatted at his back, kicking her legs.

"Put me down."

"Not a chance. There are naughty deeds to be done and I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Peter opened the door, stepped inside and kicked it closed, locking it behind him. He tossed the keys on the marble counter, his eyes quickly surveying the area. He had never been inside the guest house. Dani's parents built it sometime during his absence.

"Bedroom?" Peter asked.

"Not a chance, caveman. Put me down!" She giggled, her head swimming from being upside down as she squirmed.

Still standing in the kitchen, his gaze locked on to Dani's backside which was right next to his face. His blood heating up when he caught sight of the black ruffled lace panties peeking out under her hiked up tangerine colored floral skirt. Unable to stop himself, he placed a gentle love bite on her exposed back side. A small startled yelp resounded through the room, followed by her slapping the back of his head lightly.

"Peter Jason Quill! That's no way to treat a lady." She admonished him in a scandalized tone.

"Oh, you haven't seen nothing yet, sweet cheeks. If you're not going to tell me where your bedroom is, I'm going to be forced to get creative. There's always the kitchen counter, the dining table, the breakfast nook." He moved forward, stepping into the living room as Dani continued giggling at his antics.

"There's the couch. Oh, you have a chaise by the bay window, how quaint! Or the floor, I don't care at this point."

Dani gasped, nearly hyperventilating from laughter. She hadn't done much of that in quite a while.

"Or there's always Amelia's car. I'm curious to see how big that back seat is." Peter observed, giving Dani's back side a firm slap. Her green eyes shot open, nearly bugging out.

"Upstairs. Second door on the right." She damn near shouted, eliciting a victorious smile from him that she couldn't see anyway.

"There. That wasn't so difficult, was it?" He asked, taking the carpeted steps two at a time.

"She's a bad-tempered redhead who knows where I sleep at night. I don't want smothered with a pillow."

Peter chuckled, stealthily making his way to the landing and moved down the hall.

"And now I know, too. Not that we'll be doing much sleeping."

Dani rolled her eyes as he opened the door to her bedroom. "If making sexual innuendoes was an Olympic Event, you'd be the Michael Phelps of perversion."

"I'm not offended because I don't know who that is anyway."

Closing the door, Peter carefully surveyed the soft teal wallpaper, the cream-colored carpet before his eyes landed on its target, her king-sized bed. Stepping over to it, he carefully tossed her onto the oversized bed as she squealed from her sudden altitude change. Not giving her a second to adjust, Peter snatched her ankle, pulling off her white high heel then quickly removed its mate. Once they were off, he slid his hands up her bare leg, massaging her calf muscles, causing Dani to moan deep in her throat.

"That feels so good. I hate those shoes." She whimpered, unconsciously licking her lips from the sensation of Peter's hands working away at her aching calf. The subconscious action causing Peter's blood to ignite even more so.

He moved his hands away from their task, stripping off his red leather jacket and kicking off his boots. He crawled onto the bed as she scooted up. Her blood pounded loudly in her ears at the hungry expression on his face.

Dani still couldn't believe he was here, in her house, in her bed. Everything felt surreal, part of her wondering if this was all a dream. A very, very vivid dream.

Not wasting a moment longer on these musings, she grasped his shirt, pulling him down to her, kissing him fiercely. Her other hand roamed under the shirt, her body desperately needing to touch his warm skin.

Peter leaned back, pulling his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He moved to leaned back down to capture her lips with his again but paused upon seeing the sudden hardness in Dani's eyes.

"What?"

She didn't respond, only allowed her fingertips to carefully trace the scarred tissue of his shoulder where he had been stabbed that night on Zakkar. She swallowed the lump in her throat, also pushing down the terror of that night, the night she thought she would lose him forever.

Peter was right here and there was no way in hell she was letting him go again.

"Nothing." She gently whispered before leaning up, tenderly pressing her lips to the red, puffy reminder then pulled Peter down on top of her. Seeing whatever hardness melt away from her eyes, Peter moved his head down, kissing the tender spot below her ear on her neck.

Getting frustrated at his slow pace, Dani grabbed the blouse's hem, yanking the top over her head, exposing her matching black lace bra to his hungry gaze.

A soft, rumbling laugh escaped him. "You're in a hurry. Hot date later?"

"I have the infamous outlaw, Star Lord, in my bed. That's about as hot as it can get but he is moving at a maddeningly slow pace though."

Peter smiled that oh so tempting smirk, brushing his lips slowly along her jaw towards her ear. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Laying in Dani's bed, both completely out of breath, she chuckled in utter satisfaction.

"I most definitely missed this.' She paused, glancing up into his face as they both panted heavily. 'I don't care how old we get, this,' Dani gestured between them, 'is still happening."

Peter heartily laughed, kissing her temple then her cheek, moving to her mouth for a tender kiss. "You won't have any arguments from me."

Yeah, he definitely missed this, too.

Rolling up onto her elbow, Dani smiled down at him, her hand gliding gently up his stomach to his chest and back down a couple times.

"Alright, I'll say it but only in these circumstances."

He furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at her perplexed. "Say what?"

Her smiled turned devious.

"You're most definitely a god."

He stared blankly up a her for a moment, her words sinking in before bursting into laughter. Once he calmed down, he wiped at his eyes, looking around the room searchingly.

"Well, we're not hurtling towards the sun, so that's a start."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	27. Where's A Cow Bell When You Need One?

****A/N: This chapter is a bit of a filler and more fluffier than the FDA recommends on a daily basis but it's adorable and IDGAF. I hope you enjoy it. Only a few to go! This makes me a bit sad. I put a lot of time into this story and it's very bittersweet now that it's drawing to a close. Enjoy!**

**Song Inserts:**

**The Four Tops- I Got A Feeling (You'll see it.)**

**King Harvest- Dancing in The Moonlight (You'll read it as well. This song is SO epic.)**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Where's A Cow Bell When You Need One?**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A soft, tinkling noise greeted Peter as did the bright rays of good old fashion Earth produced sunshine peeking through the white cotton curtains of the nearby open window. He squinted, shielding his dark green eyes from the sun beams filtering in, having not being accustomed to sunny mornings during his time out in the far vastness of the galaxy.

After adjusting to the potent UV rays, he allowed himself a moment to fully appreciate the view outside the window. A cloudless blue stretched as far as they eye could see; the sight bringing a smile to his face. Memories of laying in the grass with his mother invaded his thoughts, the two spending hours cloud gazing on warm, Missouri days just like this.

He remembered fondly of pointing out different clouds, announcing in a proud voice, what they resembled whether it resembled said figure or not. Even though most didn't close to the shape Peter would claim, Meredith always exclaimed her enthusiasm as being able to see the forms as well, usually complementing him on having such a marvelous imagination that left him beaming happily with unadulterated delight.

Normally, a memory as wonderful and as equally heartbreaking as such would have left Peter's chest aching in a state of disarray and sadness. Now, however, his feet being back on his native world's soil, the memory filled him with nostalgic bliss, leaving him feeling somehow closer to her, as silly as it sounded in his head. This was a feeling that Peter never thought he would be able to wrap his head, around much less, experience. He had spent too long convinced that Earth would just serve to be a blackhole of emotional despair for him and strived to avoid the rock.

Dani had irrevocably changed so much in his life. The fact that he had willingly stayed separated from her presence for all these months simply boiled down to one stone cold fact: sheer stupidity.

Okay, maybe two.

Sheer stupidity and pride. All of that was changed now. Peter vowed to himself, to the love of his life, not to mention a room full of perfect strangers last night, that wherever Dani went, he was going to be right there with her.

Smiling warmly, he stretched out his arm blindly behind him, intent on pulling his own little ray of sunshine close to him. His hand roamed the vast expansion of the cool bed, coming up with only empty sheets. Frowning, he leaned up in bed, his half-asleep blurry eyes scanning the room. The smile returned to his face when his gaze landed on the stuffed pink zebra with purple stripes, the one he had won for her at the fair all those years ago, sitting directly across from him in a large wicker chair next to the bay window facing the south side of the house. He rolled onto his back, propping himself up onto his elbows as he glanced wistfully at the innocent remnant of their childhood.

"So, we meet again, Laffy Taffy, if I remember correctly.' He paused briefly, unable to stop the smirk that appeared at the silly name Dani had bestowed upon the animal. 'I do hope you enjoyed the performance we put on last night. Never had to take an actual Gatorade break between rounds before."

The lifeless black, beady eyes simply stared back.

"And I'm talking to inanimate objects now. Great. I blame the ozone getting to my head."

He glanced over towards the cracked open bedroom door. "Dani?"

No response.

Needing to stretch out his aching muscles, Peter climbed out of the bed, stretching out said muscles as he groaned, feeling his body silently complaining in aching defiance from their overzealous bedroom antics. Not that Peter minded in the slightest honestly. A small amount of tenderness was totally worth it when he received a full crash course of how loud Dani could truly be. His blood warmed as his provocative thoughts ventured into dark waters, remembering how bendy the talented dancer truly was.

**(**_**Maybe I should call her Gumby instead.**_**)**

Shaking off the rising blood pressure inducing thoughts, he scanned the bedroom floor, locating his discarded boxers, pulling them up before meandering towards the open window. A cool breeze blew in, tickling the bare skin of his stomach. He glanced out briefly then pushed it closed, the aging wood whining quietly in protest. With the window firmly closed, it was then that he was able to hear music coming from the downstairs area, drifting up through the floor and the open door.

Intrigued as to what Dani was up to, he exited the room, following the upbeat tune down the hallway then descending the narrow-carpeted staircase, his hand gliding along the polished tarnish wood of the railing. Moving closer to the noise, his brain was fully able to decipher the music. It was an oldie but a goodie. The Four Tops 'I Got A Feeling' blared out towards him as he passed through the living room.

Turning the corner, his steps slowed then stopped completely as he took in the sight before him. The scene was far too precious to interrupt. Peter crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned against the archway, a wide, beaming smile gracing his face.

Clad only in a thin white tank top and red bikini panties, Dani swayed back and forth to the song, pausing what she was doing to fully shake her butt in time as she danced along with the chorus. Singing low to herself, she tightened her high ponytail then resumed her current objective. Peter's eyes shamelessly trailed down her back, resting on her backside as she continued to sway, unaware that her impromptu performance now had an audience.

"Someone's in a good mood." He observed, breaking his silence as Dani yelped in surprise. Spinning around, her face beaming, her mouth went dry, seeing him watching her from across the kitchen as he wore only a pair of boxers. His eyes were watching her in manner that had her heart pounding in record time. She silently said a little prayer, hoping that this feeling that only Peter could invoke in her never faded with time.

"You startled me.' She stated matter of fact. 'I'm making pancakes."

She pointed her whisk to the counter, turning back to the large bowl of batter in front of her. He moved silently, stalking up to her then wrapped his arms around her midsection, placing a chaste yet lingering kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Mm mm, pancakes. How domestic of you but I can think of something that sounds better than pancakes." He murmured into her skin, pushing the strap of her top down her arm to kiss along her shoulder. Dani bit her bottom lip to keep herself in check.

"As enticing as that would be, I'm starving. Besides, you've never had my world renown cooking so sit, Hot Lips." She swatted his hands away from her stomach and pointed to the breakfast nook.

Peter laughed joyfully, raising his hands in surrender before taking a seat on the white woodened stool facing her, his eyes still hungrily watching her every movement. It still surprised him to no end how utterly captivated Peter was with the blonde woman in this kitchen. Watching Dani simply flipping pancakes on her gas stove as she hummed to herself, occasionally shooting a bright smile over her shoulder at him left Peter in a swirl of disorientating thoughts. How just being in proximity of her had him brimming with wild excitement and somehow comforting to him at the same time was beyond a mystery.

"Done."

She lifted two plates off the counter, setting them down opposite each other on the nook then took a seat in front of him.

Not touching her blueberry pancakes, she eyed him closely as Peter cut into his fluffy disk, waiting on his reaction. Taking a large bite, Peter moaned as he smiled happily.

"My god, this is amazing.' He paused his chewing, recognition dawning on his taste buds. 'This is Christine's recipe, isn't it?" He gushed, taking another large bite, his reaction to the second bite just as pronounced as the first.

"Heck yeah, best cook this side of the Mississippi." She exclaimed, digging into her own stack.

"A bowl of cereal would've sufficed. You didn't need to go through all this trouble."

She raised a challenging eyebrow in his direction.

"I wanted pancakes. Also, I have cause for pancake sized celebration." Dani stated, looking up at Peter slyly, making him smirk. It didn't take a rocket scientist as to what, or who, she was referring to.

"Well, I thank you either way. These are fantastic, better than I remember."

"You're just biased." She said after swallowing a large bite. She was being modest because, well damn, even Dani would toot her own horn. They were delicious.

"Maybe, maybe not."

They ate in comfortable silence; Dani stealthily watching him from under her eyelashes, a few different thoughts buzzing around like annoying flies inside her head. There were things that she wanted to discuss with Peter, clear the air so to speak. Yet right now, he sat in front of her, both eating breakfast in the kitchen on a Sunday morning like a regular couple, Dani was at a loss for words on how to broach what was in her mind.

She was thankfully saved from her inner monologue by the beeping of the coffee pot. Hopping off the red leather cushion of her stool, she pulled open a cabinet door, producing a mug then glanced back at him.

"Want some?"

He nodded, moving the massive bite he had just taken to one cheek to talk around the heavenly concoction. "Black's fine." He mumbled.

Dani couldn't help but snort at his lack of table etiquette. "Nice."

He simply shrugged. "What? It's so good!"

She chuckled as she set his cup of black java down in front of him.

"I think you're just ecstatic not to be eating prepackaged space rations." She ribbed, knowing already that she was about to receive a full stink eye. Peter had not disappointed.

"Stop being so difficult." He firmly stated, clearly teasing her back.

Settling back into her seat, she sipped quietly, her mind wandering off once more on her earlier musings.

He finished his plate with zest, eyeing the empty skillet on the stove almost longingly. Dani pushed her last pancake towards him, feeling full of the amount she had consumed.

"Have at it, big boy. I'm stuffed."

"Are you calling me fat again? I'll have you know that I worked up a helluva appetite last night, not to mention, burned a ton of calories." He shot back playfully, still accepting the plate as he pushed his plate aside. Fixing him with a stern look, Dani casually sipped her coffee before responding.

"Stop it. You're perfect."

Her admission brought a small grin to his face. He nodded once in acknowledgment. "True."

Both plates now empty, Peter wiped his mouth on his napkin, crumpling it up into a tiny ball as he sipped on his coffee, giving Dani his full attention.

"So, what's on your mind?"

Her eyebrows furrowed questioningly. "How—"

"You're gnawing on your bottom lip and sporting the thousand-yard stare.' He sipped again then pointed to her face. 'I've spent more time watching you than I should be admitting to. So, what do you want to talk about?"

Deliberating, she chose the easier topic first.

"If you're here, where are the others? It slipped my mind last night."

"Well, after the ordeal with my real father, Gamora reconciled with her sister. She decided to travel with Nebula for a while, needing to try and work on their craziness. She keeps in touch every few weeks. As for the others, they're handling a load off job we are contracted for. They'll be back in a few days. That is unless Rocket enjoys being captain too much and commandeers my ship. I'll be marooned here then." He said with a laugh.

"Yeah, being trapped here." Dani absently replied. It was Peter's turn to furrow his eyebrows, not liking her comment.

"I wouldn't say 'trapped' per say."

She contemplated her next words carefully.

"Did you mean what you said last night at the Watering Hole? About staying on Earth with me?" She inquired, her nerves banging out a samba as she fidgeted, rolling the mug in her hands. Peter answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Of course, I meant it. The last several months without you has been hell, Dani. Wherever you are, that's where I want to be."

Her throat tight at the sincerity in his voice, her eyes darting towards his hand that had reached across the nook to hold hers.

"Even if it meant leading a boring, average life in exchange of giving up the stars?"

His quick response caught her by surprise.

"In a heartbeat. With you, it wouldn't be boring or average. We'd have our own adventure. Together."

_**(Wow, it's getting heavy in here.)**_

Needing to move, to do something, she cleared their plates and loaded the dishwasher, starting the cycle before turning back to face him.

"And figuratively speaking, if I chose to, I could still leave with you when they return?"

Peter stood up, moving to stand in front of her as he spoke, his finger skimming her jawline on his way to lightly play with a curl of her hair that had come undone from her ponytail.

"Obviously, yes. But I want you to think it through first. Don't feel as though I'm going to pressure you one way or the other. I'm 100% with whatever you decide. Whether it's four walls on a spaceship or white picket fence with 2.5 screaming kids, including dance recitals, baseball practice. We're in this together, if that's what you want."

Dani breathed out deeply, not realizing that she had been holding her breath. "So, no pressure, huh?"

Taking a quick tumble down that rabbit hole, Dani allowed herself to momentarily imagine what it'd be like if they stayed on Earth.

Living in her parents' house. _Their_ house. Marrying Peter, becoming Mrs. Daniella Quill. She even let her mind go as far as to what he had said himself. She imagined a small boy and girl, both with her strawberry blonde hair but Peter's dark green eyes. First steps, scraped knees, homework at the kitchen table, Peter coaching baseball games while she cheered from the stands, even Dani teaching their children to drive while he stood anxiously watching from their front porch as he chewed off his nails in apprehension.

Her heart swelled at merely the thought of the possible life they could have here.

She glanced up at him, feeling the open honesty radiating from his being as he patiently watched her with knowing eyes.

And yet…

As wonderful as that possibility was, would he ever truly be happy with that life?

Out there, Peter was something else. Not just Peter Quill, not even Star Lord, more than something so explainable. Peter was made for that life; he was in his element chasing the stars and it was magnificent to behold. Like witnessing a force of nature at work. Being out there with him was exhilarating and terrifying all at once, making her feel more alive than Dani had felt before. Not that she would ever stroke his ego by telling him that.

Did he really want to give all that glory up for an average John Smith 9 to 5 life?

Could she?

Besides grieving Terry's death and moping for the loss of Peter in her life, Dani missed being halfway across the galaxy, seeing new worlds and experiencing adventure with her friends and her love. She opened her mouth to speak, prompting Peter to hush her with his finger to her lips.

"Seriously. Think about it. We have a few days to mull this over."

"Can I ask you something?"

He nodded in response.

"What do you want?"

"You." He replied automatically.

Dani huffed in annoyance. "You know what I meant. Would you rather live here forever or return to everything you've know these last countless years?"

"I told you, I'm not affecting-"

Rolling her eyes briefly to the ceiling, she reached her hands up to cup his face, her thumbs pressing his lips shut.

"That'll be enough of the martyr crap. This is not just _my _decision to make, it's our decision. This is going to affect both of our lives and I can't be the only one deciding this. That's not how relationships work, it's unfair. I've made that mistake before and I almost destroyed us. I'm not making that mistake again. I want to know what _you_ want for _your_ life, Peter." She rushed out before he could interrupt her.

Dani moved her thumbs off his lips, tracing the stubble of his jaw. It felt like hours ticked by as Peter stared into her eyes, watching her as he weighed his options even though it was only a moment or two of him pursing his lips in concentration.

He went to speak but it was her turn to cut him off. "And you better be 100% honest with me."

Peter paused momentarily before speaking. "If we're going for honesty, well… as amazing as… um, it's just that… how do I say…"

"Peter." She sternly said his name, irritation creeping into her tone.

"Ok, ok. In all seriousness, I love my life. Out there. But that lifestyle makes it difficult to be domesticated, if you catch my drift. We've talked about this."

She didn't need him to explain what he meant. She remembered that conversation.

"We'd never be able to have children. Not living like that, it's too dangerous." Dani mumbled out loud, more to herself.

His face hardened in anguish as he sighed. Peter knew it was a horrible thing to ask of her. To either stay and have a normal life, maybe children, his children. Or to return with him to their dangerous yet exciting life but both knowing they could never have a family.

She had been right. What kind of parents would they be if they knowingly endangered their children's' lives because they wanted to be selfish and have it all? Their lifestyle always had a knife to their throat, the never-ending possibilities of what could be sneaking up behind them in the dark. Some unknown force from the past that could tear apart what Peter and Dani had hoped to build together, their legacy.

The pull of returning to adventure and the galaxy called out to him but a much larger part of his soul knew he'd be happy with whatever Dani chose. He couldn't, wouldn't live without her again.

"I know it's a lot to take in. At your behest, I told you my preferable choice but no matter what, you're stuck with me now, Patrick. All you gotta do is decide where we lay our heads at night. Take your time, love."

He leaned forward, placing a firm kiss to her forehead. Dani wrapped her arms around his midsection, squeezing him close to her as she laid her head on his chest. Not wanting to dwell on the subject now, she focused on the sound of his steady heartbeat as well as the music drifting from her stereo, King Harvest 'Dancing in The Moonlight'. A smile crept over her lips, it was another favorite of hers, maybe top five. Peter wrapped her up in his embrace, lifting her suddenly up onto the marble counter as laughter erupted from her small frame.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" She asked between laughs. Peter positioned himself between her legs, his hands running up her bare things. The new elevation brough her almost eye level with him. He smiled mischievously, his lips moving to her exposed neck, placing soft kisses on her skin as he pushed himself flush against her. His fingers sliding up under the sides of the straps of her bikinis teasingly.

"I'm think we have this house all to ourselves and that we have a lot of 'catching up' to do." Peter murmured seductively into her neck, his beard stubble rubbing her neck, sparking a fire within her. He reached around, firmly grabbing her backside in both hands.

_**(Still putty in those fine hands of his.)**_

Dani moaned, unable to stop herself. If she had to name her biggest weakness, it was how her body instantaneously reacted to Peter's touch. Dani finally came to terms that if he wanted to set the world ablaze, she'd be there with a match in hand. That's how much she felt for him and, at times, it was scary. Scary yet utterly thrilling to find a love so deep and consuming as what they shared.

Pulling back to look at him, her eyes etching his handsome and rugged face into her very soul. His dark eyes which were now watching her in intense desire as they bore into her, burning her from the inside. Her gaze trailed down Peter's face to his perfectly shaped lips, they always kept her on her toes with his quick wit and-

_**(Let's not forget how talented he is with them in other departments.)**_

A blush crept up her face at her sordid thoughts. And it wasn't just his good looks. He truly was Dani's other half. Peter was funny, gentle, kind a smartass (she'd never tell him how much she loves that about him), fiercely loyal and let's not forget, giving.

_**(For god's sake, he's willing to give up a life he's always known and loves if that's what I want him to do.)**_

Everything seemed to click into place. Her mind flew to the picture in the hallway of that day on the beach with her family, the one of her parents gazing at each other, so madly in love. People had found their devotion to each other a bit nauseating, but Dani never had, and she now knew why.

That's how much she loved the man in front of her, what she had been yearning for all these years, why no previous relationship ever stuck.

Her soul was waiting on Peter to come back to her and Dani knew now that she would never want anything more than she wanted Peter. That she'd move Heaven and Earth to make him happy.

It would seem that fate delivered her soul mate to her in the form of her oldest and dearest friend.

Funny how that all worked out in the end.

Peter frowned, the calculating look on Dani's face was making him self conscious.

"What? Do I have syrup on my face?"

She gave the smallest of head shakes, not looking away. Her mouth blurting out the first slightly coherent thing that came to mind.

"Marry me."

Peter's eyes widened. He was really, not expecting that to come out of her mouth.

"What?" He stuttered, completely caught off guard by her proposal. The sound of the back door behind Peter didn't register to them nor the fiery redhead fighting to get her key unstuck from the dead bolt.

"Piece of shit." Amelia muttered to herself, not looking up as she fumbled with the lock. Finally freeing the key, she huffed loudly as she closed the door and threw her purse on the kitchen island, not having noticed the spectacle occurring in the room.

"Hey love birds! If you're humping some place that is accessible to me and don't want me watching or joining, better cover up!" She yelled in a teasing manner, obviously trying to warn them that she was home as she crossed the room to dig out a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Jesus!" Dani yelled angrily, not expecting to hear her friend's voice. The redhead froze in spot once she noticed the two in the kitchen, a wide stupid grin on her face.

"No, Amelia.' Her eyes blatantly trailing down Peter's body. 'Well hello again, Tall, Tan and nearly Naked. Kitchen sex, huh? Nice." Amelia said jokingly as Dani scrambled off the counter, her face as red as her friend's hair.

"What the hell?! You said you'd be back tomorrow morning!" She snapped as she strategically stepped in front of a boxers only Peter.

"Good morning to you too, dear Dani." She replied sarcastically, not enjoying her friend's snappy tone as she took a deep swallow from her bottle. Dani was having none of her usual sarcasm.

"Dammit, Amelia! What the fuck?"

The redhead visibility took a step back, not liking her tone.

"Ok, first off, you need to chill the eff out, ese. Second, I forgot my medication and phone charger. Two vitals one cannot live without in this day and age. My bad. And third, what crawled up your ass this morning?" Her eyes flitted to Peter, who was leaning heavily against the counter behind Dani, not allowing himself to feel intimidated by the fact he was practically in his birthday suit.

Dani fixed a threatening death glare towards her friend.

_**(Don't you do it, Mitchell.)**_

"On second thought, I think I already know what's been up there."

_**(And she went there anyway.)**_

Dani clenched her eyes shut, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. A few breaths later, Amelia spoke again.

"I can see that I showed up at a bad time, so I'll get my stuff and get out of your love nest."

Dani turned around, placing her palms on her cheeks to cool the burning sensation after Amelia was upstairs.

"I'm going to put some clothes on. Be right back." Peter mumbled, shooting past her for the stairs. He had hoped to make it back to Dani's room before Amelia came out but no such luck. He was halfway up the stairs when she round the landing. She waved a hand at him, signaling Peter to pass. His cheeks were now burning as well as he moved past her in the small space.

"Hey, Peter, by the way, I don't normally go for guys who wear tight boxer briefs, but you fill those out very, very well." Amelia called after him as Peter beelined for the bedroom. He clenched his jaw as he absently waved behind him in acknowledgment, closing the door. She chuckled as she made her way back down to the kitchen. Dani was sitting at the nook, her head in her hands along with the expression mimicking someone who just swallowed a bug.

"What's with the long face? I've caught you doing worse though I must say how upset I am. I happen to binge eat ice cream on that counter at 2 in the morning." Amelia joked, sitting on the stool Peter had been in not that long ago. The playful smile faded as she studied her friend.

"What's wrong?"

Dani stared blankly ahead; horror etched on her face.

"I asked Peter to marry me."

Amelia's loud squeak startled her, the redhead leaning forward, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"Really? What happened? This is a good thing. Isn't it? It's supposed to be a good thing. Why do you look like it's not a good thing? Did he say no? Do you want me to kill him? I'm gonna kill him if he said no." Amelia rambled, not sure what to say. She was half turned out of her seat as though to grab a butcher knife out of the drawer.

"The Unsinkable Amelia Mitchell happened. I sort of blurted it out like verbal vomit five seconds before you came clomping in like an obnoxious Clydesdale with an air horn."

Amelia clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my…. I am so sorry, Dee! That's why he was white as a sheet. I figured it was from me catching you two dry humping in a food preparation area.' She observed, looking remorseful. 'I should go, leave you two alone to talk. I'll talk to you later. I really am sorry, Hun."

She squeezed Dani's shoulder before quickly making an exit out the back door. Even Amelia knew there was a time for her shenanigans, and this was not one of them.

Dani stared vacantly at the empty seat. She had meant it, still meant, her proposal. She wished she had been a bit smoother with her wording and that they hadn't been so rudely interrupted. She loved Peter immensely and wanted him to be her husband but maybe it was too fast for him. They had their whole lives ahead of them and it might be better if they did take it slower. Lord knows their relationship aboard the Milano happened in a flash.

To say that Dani was confused would be putting it mildly. It was Peter who had come running back to her when she reached out to him. He was the one to announce publicly in a packed bar full of strangers that he wanted to be with her, start a family with her if that's what she wanted.

Why did he balk and bolt for the bedroom when she asked him to marry her?

_**(Stop being such a teenager and go ask him!)**_

Not being able to stomach the unease that was growing inside her, Dani got up and made her way to the bedroom, her brain sorting through her words now before she confronted him. Dani knocked, not wanting to startle him if he was changing and called in that she was coming in.

Peter, still wearing only his boxers, stood by her dresser, his back facing her.

"Hey." She called out in a quiet voice.

He turned his gaze to her, giving Dani a gentle smile.

"Hi. Glad it's you. I thought for sure Amelia was coming to finally claim me as her own." He teased, turning his penetrating gaze back towards the dresser. His comment made Dani chuckle lightly.

"I told you, she's only messing with you. That's just how she is. She said that you're attractive but doesn't think of you in that way. She would never do that to me."

He nodded, still averting his eyes from her own. "I know. I don't fluster easily but she leaves me floundering in my own sputtering words and embarrassment. Just not use to that."

Dani crossed the room to see what he was staring at so intently. "What you got there?"

Peter picked up a picture frame off the counter, leaving Dani to cringe horrifically at the photo. She hadn't looked at it in so long, she forgot it was there. She attempted to snatch it out of his hand, but Peter extended it outside her reach, swatting at her hand.

"UGH! That's a terrible photo. Don't look at it. It'll suck your soul out if you stare too long."

He shot her a brief glare that straight up called her bullshit.

"Shut up. You look breathtaking as always."

His words warmed her and sent chills down her spine simultaneously.

It was her senior prom picture. It had been the mid-1990s and she went through a T-Boz from TLC faze, her hair was cut into a short in the back and longer towards the front cut that was a borderline bowl cut. She wore a long robin's egg blue ball gown that puffed horribly at the bottom.

Thinking back, Dani couldn't remember the name of the boy she had gone with. They ended up hanging out separately with their own groups of friends the whole time a few moments after this picture had been taken.

"That night was a colossal failure. He ditched me to drink the night away with his buddies in the bathroom. My friends pretty much pity danced with me."

Peter ran his thumb over her face in the portrait, an unreadable expression on his face.

"That should've been me holding you close in this picture. In all of them. You look so beautiful. I never would've done that to you." He said, nearly whispering. A random thought popped into Dani's head.

"It's not fair, you know. You've seen pictures of me when I was a teen. I wonder what you looked like as a teenager. Guess I'll never know." She pondered absently staring at the picture still in his hand.

Peter glanced at her momentarily, debating on his next decision. Setting the portrait down, he dug in his back pocket of his pants on the floor. He came back over to her, clutching something in his hand, giving her a stern look.

"You have to promise not to laugh at what I'm about to show you."

Hope flared in her chest. Feeling brazened, Dani sashayed up to him, pressing her body flush against his. She leaned up, her lips inches from his. She stared deeply into his eyes.

"No promises, Star Lord." Dani whispered, her lips brushing seductively against his as she spoke, successfully distracting Peter. Her fingers snatched the paper out of his hand. Dani launched herself onto the bed, her eyes moving to the paper in her grasp. Her hand flew to her mouth, suppressing the wide grin on her face as she took in the incredibly adorable younger Peter Quill. He appeared to be about eighteen, maybe nineteen in the picture which turned out to be an arrest mugshot. He had curly brownish blonde hair sticking out every which way as though he had just gotten into an intense pillow fight, his signature smug grin creeping up one side of his face.

"Hey, you didn't promise." He whined, pouting as he climbed onto to the bed, resting his weight gently down on her as he tried to snag the picture away playfully. Dani rolled onto her stomach, death gripping the picture under her chest.

"No way you're getting this back now. An actual existing picture of a younger you. This is more precious than gold to me." She declared, laughing ecstatically as her gaze trailed back down to the photo. She didn't see the touched expression, followed by the slow smile, that her words put on Peter's face. He leaned into her back, kissing her shoulder delicately.

"If it means that much to you, I guess you can keep it."

Dani glanced over her shoulder, her face nearly brushing his as she gave him a mischievous look that made his heart rate pick up.

"I wasn't planning on letting it go. The same goes for the man in the picture." She replied with an honesty that brought him up short. Peter pressed his lips firmly to hers.

Needing to have her closer, he pushed on her shoulder, rolling Dani over onto her back. He laid himself down on top of her as Peter deepened the kiss, never wanting to leave this bed.

Pulling back, his eyes danced over her face, his hand reaching up to brush away a few wisps of unruly bed hair from her eyes.

"Yes."

A wrinkle of confusion bunched up between her eyebrows. "Yes what?"

"Yes, I want to marry you, Daniella Rose Patrick." He proclaimed, never feeling more certain about anything in his life. Her bright green eyes welled up, her voice catching when she spoke.

"I thought with how you took off when I asked—"

Peter laughed dryly, looking away to the wall to shake his head before turning back to her.

"Your lovable, motormouth, man eating perv of a friend just stormed in on us in our underwear. I think I'm allowed to be a little startled."

Dani, feeling stupid and embarrassed, slapped her palm to her forehead. It was blatantly obvious why he reacted the way he did. How Peter ever tolerated her simple ness and mood swings, Dani never knew. She had, once again, let her insecurity run rampant, unchecked.

Peter swatted her hand away, annoyed. "Stop that. You bruise too easily for that crap."

"I guess that's the Irish in me."

"Christine's maiden name is Marnell. And Patrick? Never would have guessed that." He joked, staring down at her intently again.

"Are you sure?" She asked carefully, wanting to ensure that he was serious about her proposal.

"Beyond a doubt. I can't wait for you to be Mrs. Peter Quill. Has a certain ring to it. Daniella Quill."

"I was thinking you should take my name, Mr. Daniella Patrick, now that has a ring to it." She snickered at the obnoxious glare he gave her. Peter rolled to his side, pulling her close.

"Over my dead body. It's bad enough you beat me to proposing."

"So, when we doing this? I think an autumn wedding would be beautiful. Maybe mid-October before it gets cold—" Dani trailed off when she noticed the uncomfortable look Peter was giving her.

"What?"

"I don't want to wait that long. I also don't really want a big to do." Peter carefully admitted, deciding to be complete honest with her. He knew that there was a chance he was treading on unsteady ground. Most girls have their weddings fully planned out by the time they reached puberty. He came up surprised by the smile on her face.

"You got it, babe. Nothing big. I don't have a lot of, well, anyone I would want to be there anyway.' The smile faded. 'We may have another issue. For it to be legal, we may have to bring you back from the dead."

Peter's eyebrows shot up like a bullet shooting out of a gun.

"You had me declared dead?"

"Babe, it wasn't me. You've been missing for a quarter century, that was out of my hands."

He must've found it funny due to the silent laughter shaking through his frame.

"Glad you find it funny. I wasn't thrilled about it when I found out. It felt like a proverbial final nail in your coffin." Dani snapped, slightly miffed. Peter noticed her change in demeanor, so he rubbed gentle circles along her back.

"Don't be that way. I'm here, Sun Ray, there's nothing we can do about that now unless you decide that we're staying."

She calmed down a bit; some of the tension leaving her muscles from Peter's ministrations.

"I honestly don't care about a big wedding as long as we have some sort of vow exchange. I want to promise myself to you and you to me. That's all I care about." She admitted, making him smile.

"On some planets, we do that right here, right now and it would be legal." His tone turning suggestive as he spoke, hinting as to what he was referring to. Dani scoffed, catching his drift.

"Well, we're not on 'some planets' and if we're not gonna do this traditionally, we're doing this at least with our friends in attendance. I'm pretty sure Amelia would kill us if we eloped without her there."

"What if we take off and elope on another planet? She wouldn't be able to do anything about it then." The comment made Dani bust into hysterical, side splitting laughter.

"Have you met her? She'd find a way to hunt us down."

"Ok, you got me there. So, what do we do?" He asked, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Peter, I don't care if its even legal. I just want us to promise one to the other. WITH our friends present. It means everything to me that as long as we say what is in our hearts, that's all I will ever need."

Smiling, Peter pressed his lips to hers in a chaste yet endearing kiss, moved by her words.

"I think we can arrange that. We'll do this when the others return."

A thought occurred to Dani. "What about Gamora? She's our friend but I don't know if it would be in poor taste for her to be here, with how she feels about you, I mean."

He sighed deeply. That was a tough situation.

"I have her frequency programmed in my communicator. You can call her if you wish, it might be better coming from you. She may not admit to it, but she views you as more than a friend. Like a sister. Your leaving rippled through the dynamic of the crew. She was mopey and angry at me since you left. Even Rocket is pisser than usual. You worked your Dani magic on him."

"That's surprising. I figured he hated me."

"He meant what he said when you confronted him after Dorang. He was afraid, worried that you were going to tear apart our little ragtag group we were building, and he unjustly lashed out. That's really the only way he knows how to convey emotion, or at least was. We had a few drinks a couple weeks ago and I overheard him telling Drax that he 'sorta' missed having you around." Peter explained, replaying what was going on since her departure.

She bit her cheek, feeling a little emotional herself hearing that Rocket really did miss her.

Dani let out a light chuckle, shaking off the heavy moment.

"It seems I have leverage to lord over him if we decide to return to the Milano."

Peter's face fell rapidly, alerting Dani that something was amiss.

"What?"

He hesitated, not sure how to explain.

"Yeah. About the Milano—" Her head snapped up off his chest to glare down at him.

"What about her?"

"Have I ever told you about a race called the Sovereign?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	28. There Will Be No Ditto-ing, Missy

****A/N: _Very MATURE CHAPTER AVAILABLE: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART_**

**Hello again, another chapter coming right up. It's nearing, only one more chapter left of this tale 'When He's Needed Most'. Still contemplating changing the name. If you're enjoying please feel free to drop me a review, I see you lurkers out there. Come on, don't be shy. I baked cookies. Enjoy!**

**Song Inserts:**

**Bay City Rollers- I Only Want To Be With You (Look for _*GOTG* _in a scene break)**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: There Will Be No Ditto-ing, Missy**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Dani sighed sadly, sliding Peter's communicator back into his man purse –er—knapsack. She had tried fruitlessly for three days now to get a hold of Gamora with no answer each time, having to leave video messages instead. The menu indicated that her messages were unchecked until earlier that same day, showing that each one had been watched but still no reply.

It sucked being left on 'Read'.

Still, she tried not to let the disappointment overtake what was to be a joyful time. Peter and herself had decided on the most intimate of gatherings possible. Neither caring that it wouldn't be strictly legal, they cleared out the living room of her parents' house, making room for themselves, Rocket, Drax, Groot Amelia and their new friend, Mantis. The 'out of town' guests were expected to arrive some time today.

Dani still had her heart set on Gamora showing but being that tomorrow was the big day, she wasn't holding her breath. They had been tight lipped about what they were planning, not cluing Amelia in on what was about to happen. Dani reiterated time and time again that they were simply having a small get together with friends.

Plopping into her whit wooden desk chair, Dani pulled open the drawer and withdrew three hefty packets of manila envelopes, sorting through the legal documents that she had slaved over to complete on such short notice. Her eyes scanned through the last will and testament of her brother. Being that Terry knew he was on borrowed time, he had all his ducks in a row by drawing up his will and leaving his estate solely to Dani, including his half of the money he received when they sold the family company. Between her inheritance and what she left of her own buyout share, if they chose to stay and lead an average life, Peter and Dani's great-grandchildren could easily live comfortably.

However, Dani had other plans for Terry's share right from the start. Peter's recent arrival was quite seredipitious, coinciding with the arrival of completed paperwork. Dani knew that there was no way she could ever find a use for that much money. She opted to donate part of it to various charities such as cancer research in honor of Terry and contributing to several orphanage group homes. Thinking that if things had been different, Peter may have ended up in such a place if not for her family or his grandparents. The line of thought saddened her greatly.

Speaking of Peter, she heard the shower shut off in her connecting bathroom as she poured over the documents, signing the last few pages that needed to be done. Not having her brother, her original lawyer, to consult her through the process, Dani was left no choice then to use her parents' lawyer. Besides, she didn't want to have to waste time with finding a new one with whom she wasn't familiar. She still needed to finish this off quickly before her appointment with the lawyer and notary to square away some last minute details pertaining to Terry's will.

Hearing the bathroom door open into her room, Dani slid the paperwork into her leather briefcase then turned in her chair towards Peter. He waltzed casually into the room, his bath towel wrapped around his waist as he used another to dry his hair.

"What was that?" He inquired, throwing the hair towel into her hamper then pointed to her briefcase.

"The last of the paperwork on Terry's will. I gotta meet with my lawyer in an hour." She replied, standing up to glance at her bedside clock. She walked over to her closet, pulling out what she had previously picked out to wear to the appointment. Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, lips skimmed along her exposed neck, a coy smile forming on her face.

"No, no, no. Behave yourself, sir. I gotta be out the door soon and I have no time for any of your sexual shenanigans." Dani said firmly, playfully swapping at his arms. Peter's hands had other ideas though, moving down and sliding inside the waistband of her pajama shorts, gripping possessively at her hips.

"Not even a quick nooner?" He muttered into her hair, trying to distract her.

"It's 9:00am, not exactly noon. I have things I need to finalize today. I'll be just a few hours. You can spend some quality time with Amelia."

Dani bit back a laugh as she added the last suggestion.

Once the tenacious redhead realized that Dani wasn't going to crack, she turned her Spanish Inquisition about what they were planning to Peter. He wasn't as immuned to Amelia's constant prattling and nagging as she was. Dani felt him instantly freeze up behind her, tension radiating off him like a stretched coil.

"No! You can't leave me here with her. She's driving me crazy. I almost let 'it' slip this morning when you were in the shower and she cornered me in the kitchen. She won't take no for an answer." He begged, turning her around to face him. Dani could see the desperation in his eyes but there was nothing she could do for him. She leaned up and lightly kissed his lips in an chaste peck.

"Time to toughen up, buttercup. I have to go and you need to be here if the others show up. You'll be fine. If she gets too inquisitive, just ask her what 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' is and she will bore the pants off you for at least an hour with that." She instructed, her fingers stealthily undoing the knot in his waist towel. It dropped to the floor around their feet. Her eyes trailed down brazenly, her gaze turning heated as she met his.

Peter's mouth opened but not fast enough. Dani pressed a finger softly to his lips, silencing him.

"Now, you hold that thought until I get back. I'll make it up to you tonight, I promise." She whispered, giving him one more deep kiss, nibbling on Peter's bottom lip before pulling away.

"Tease." He muttered as she unhooked her outfit from the closet door, moving around him to change. She gave his bare ass a firm slap as she moved by him, causing him to yelp in the process.

"Oh, my dear fiancé, if you only knew what I have in store for you." She said seductively, shooting him a sultry look over her shoulder before closing the bathroom door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_***GOTG***_

Pulling into her parents' round about driveway a few hours later blaring Bay City Roller's 'I Only Want To Be With You', Dani's heart leapt joyfully upon spotting the spaceship parked in the massive backyard. Forgetting about the bags in the trunk, she hopped out of the car, running as carefully as she could in her high heels on the walkway leading to the guest house. She opened the kitchen door, her eyes scanning the room.

The sight that greeted her was bizarre as possible but welcoming nonetheless.

Seated at the breakfast nook, Drax, Rocket and Peter were laughing about something that Dani didn't catch over a beer. As strange as it was, Dani's mind procured an image slightly different than the one she was witnessing. She imagined that Peter was having a guys' night with faceless buddies of his, watching them argue over some random baseball game in his imaginary mancave. The image was appealing but felt somehow wrong. Not the image itself but imagining there being anyone else there besides the odd group that was right in front of her. She gave her head a solid shake, banishing the thought as she pushed the kitchen door closed.

"It's a good thing I picked up more beer. This lot will surely drink me out of house and home." She called out, pulling everyone's attention. Drax's face lit up upon seeing her.

"Dani! How great it is to see you again." Drax said happily, standing up from the stool he was sitting on. She moved quickly around the kitchen island.

"Incoming hug. Prepare to deal with it." She said, moving in fast to hug the large man. Wrapping her arms around his massive shoulders, Dani squeezed him tightly, releasing a squeal when he not only returned the hug but lifted her off her feet, swinging her around in spot.

"Still don't own a shirt I see." She remarked, pulling away to look him over.

"Unfortunately no. I have sensitive nipples, they chafe easily." He replied, deadpan, causing her to snort in amusement.

"God, I've missed you, Drax." She grinned widely at him, her eyes drifting over to Rocket.

"Hello Rocket. It's good to see you."

He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip of his beer.

"Uh well, you too. You're welcome by the way, for bringing your boy toy back. I was tired of watching Quill wallowing in his room in misery to 'Baby Come Back'. I figured it was time to dump him off on your doorstep like a drunken prom date." He replied sarcastically. Dani hid her amusement, knowing full well that he did, in fact, miss her so she settled for smiling knowingly at him.

"I thank you for that, nonetheless. I 'sorta' missed you too."

"I Am Groot!"

Dani's head whipped around, her gaze following the sound to the counter of the nook, her face beaming.

"Of course I missed you the most, little guy. Wow, look at you! You've grown a few inches. I hardly recognize you." She gushed, scooping Groot up and placed him on her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a tiny but tight hug.

"I Am Groot."

"I know, buddy. It's wonderful seeing you again, too." She replied, using her index and middle finger to gently pat his back affectionately.

"Wait. You understand him?" Rocket asked, looking mildly shocked.

"Yeah, I was beginning to tune into his 'frequency' right when I was leaving. I was worried that I would lose it though. It's been a while." Dani, Groot still on her shoulder, moved over to Peter's side, wrapping her arm around his lower back.

"Where's—"

As if on cue, Amelia bounced down the stairs, a dark haired woman with huge, dark eyes following closely behind her. She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't taken back by her large eyes, not to mention the bug like antennaes on her forehead. The dark haired lady glanced shyly over towards Dani.

"Hey Dee, I was showing Mantis here where the bathroom is." Amelia piped in, grabbing a beer out of the fridge, offering one to Mantis. She gingerly accepted the can, flipping the cold beverage around in her hands curiously.

"Its beer. Gets you drunk but tastes like piss." She said, taking a swig of her own, hopping unceremoniously onto the kitchen counter.

"How would you know what urine tastes like?" The woman asked innocently, her voice gentle despite the roasting she just unknowingly laid out.

Dani snorted, ungraciously beer out of her nose, coughing and laughing rolled together from witnessing the dumbfounded expression on Amelia's face. It wasn't often that someone managed to stump Amelia into speechlessness. She snatched a handful of napkins off the counter by the kitchen sink, whipping at the beer escaping from her facial orphices.

"And I like you already. I'm Dani Patrick." She greeted, extending her hand to Mantis who simply stared at it, perplexed.

"Go ahead, Mantis. It's a traditional Earth greeting, you're supposed to shake it." Drax interjected, nodding to Dani.

Mantis glanced unsure down at her own hand then moved forward, placing hers in Dani's. A warm smile danced across her face, the tips of her antennae glowing in a warm, faint light.

"You're happy, to see your friends again. I can also feel the love you possess for Peter, that bond is quite strong.' Her pretty face scrunched up. 'You are also excited yet saddened by something, something happening very soon—"

Dani ripped her hand away.

"What are you talking about?" She snapped, not understanding what the hell Mantis was going on about. Peter straight up face palmed his forehead.

"Crap, sorry Dani. I forgot to mention that Mantis is an empath."

Like that was supposed to explain anything.

"Huh?"

While unloading the groceries out of the trunk of her car, Peter proceded to explain to her that Mantis had the ability to feel peoples' emotions by simply touching their skin. Returning to the kitchen with her arms loaded with paper bags galore, Dani just nodded. She should've been at the point where nothing surprised her anymore. Just when she thought that the universe couldn't be any more unique, it threw another curve ball at her head.

"That would have been nice to know. She could've blown the surprise." She whispered, glancing over her shoulder to ensure that her and Peter were the only one in the kitchen. She busied herself with prepping the ingredients for tonight's dinner, lasagna. This recipe had been her mother's mother and it never failed to impress. Peter pulled himself up onto the counter of the breakfast nook, watching Dani as she prepared the pasta. He offered to help though his knowledge of cooking was sorely limited. Thankfully, she declined the assistance, wanting to handle this particular dish herself. Call it being anal retentive but she was particular about her family's recipes. Peter opted to 'sit there and look pretty', using Dani's emasculating words. He wasn't at all insulted by her statement, he simply wanted to be in her proximitiy so he settled for keeping her company.

Loading the casserole dish into the oven, Dani noticed that the light conversation they were having seemed to die off, signaling to her that Peter had something working away in that brain of his. She picked up her wine glass off the stove top, taking a sip of her Riesling before turning towards him.

"What's on your mind, babe?"

Surely enough, there was a prevalent scowl marring his handsome features, as he was lost in his thoughts. He contemplated his words, opening and closing his mouth a handful of times before finally finding his words.

"I was thinking about what Mantis said earlier when she read your feelings." He admitted, not fully explaining himself. Dani couldn't see what his point could be.

"Ok, so?"

He hopped off the counter, stepping closer towards her warily.

"You're not having second thoughts about tomorrow, are you?"

Of course Peter would assume that she was doubting her feelings about marrying him. She knew that he forgave her for breaking his heart and abandoning him but it was reasonable that there would still be some lingering insecurity. She couldn't blame him for feeling so.

Knowing that she needed to reassure him, Dani closed the distance separating them, cupping his face in her hands as she stood on her tip toes, kissing him deeply. She willed all her love and devotion outwards, hopig to convey to Peter just how much she felt for him. Pulling away, she leaned up even more while pulling his head down, kissing his forehead in a calming gesture.

"Of course not. I'm counting down the minutes until I can call you mine, Peter. You heard what Mantis said, that's the part I'm excited about. It's the deciding on staying or going that saddens me."

Peter wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. "And have you made a decision?"

Dani bit her lip, nodding up at him.

"And?"

"And ruin the surprise? No, I think not. You'll have your answer tomorrow. Don't be impatient." She kissed him briefly once more before moving away, taking a sip of her wine.

The jovial, laughter emanating from the adjacent living room brought a smile to her face. She wasn't accustomed to hearing so much noise echoing through the small guest house. Well, besides Amelia's normally sarcastic voice booming through the dwelling. It was a most welcomed sound indeed.

Drax's voice was now the one thundering out to her.

"Dani! You have quite the movie selection. Come pick one out."

Peter's smile now matched hers as he glanced lovingly down to her. "We're being beckoned."

"Come on, I'll put on Footloose for you."

His face lit up, taking her offered hand in his. "You know me so well, Sun Ray."

They headed into the living room, hand in hand.

"You guys ready to see the infamous Kevin Bacon?" He asked rhetorically.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

With nearly everyone that Dani and Peter cared about in the universe at one table, sharing a delicious meal, they looked at each other as they finished. Peter stealthily nodded to her, signaling it was time. Dani cleared her throat, subconsciously straightening her top.

"Peter and I have an announcement to make. There's another reason why we gathered everyone together tonight, something special." Dani announced, glancing happily over to Peter next to her.

Drax laughed joyfully.

"You're with child. I knew it. I was telling Mantis that you have that glow about you and you are filling out. Congratulations." He loudly said, appearing thrilled. Dani didn't know whether to be more offended at the interruption or the fact that she was pretty sure Drax just called her fat.

"No, we're not pregnant, Drax. Jeez. We're getting married tomorrow. In my parents' home at four o'clock and we want you all to be there." She said, holding Peter's hand under the table to steady her.

Amelia stared at them, shellshocked, her mouth hanging wide open.

"But…how… how could you keep this from me? What kind of wedding? It's simplistic, isn't it? What about all the planning we talked about when we were younger? And no time for a bachelorette party! I'm feeling jipped here, Patrick." She floundered, looking between the two of them in shock.

"A simple congrats would sufficed, Unsinkable.' Dani snipped. 'Way to go on making this about you. Again."

Her words seemed to catch her off guard. Amelia closed her mouth, staring at Dani momentarily before getting up and squatting down next to Dani, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Dee. You know how I get sometimes. Of course congratulations are in order, for both of you. I'm so happy for you, Hun."

Amelia pulled back, tears shining in her eyes.

"But how's this going to happen? You said he was declared dead. How's it going to be legal?"

Rocket jumped off his chair, heading over to the fridge across the room. "Yeah, congrats and all but I feel like getting another beer. I have a feeling I'm going to need lots of alcohol to get through the next 24 hours."

Mantis, having been quiet for most of the meal and during their announcement, turned towards Drax, looking confused. "What is 'getting married'? Is it like getting a pet?"

Peter leaned over in his chair, placing a gentle kiss to Dani's temple. "Well done, I love you." He whispered into her ear.

She squeezed his hand firmly, smiling. "Ditto."

"That better not be your wedding vows."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-


	29. Start of A New Chapter

****A/N: AAHHH! IT'S OVER! Yes, this is the last chapter of 'When He's Needed Most'. It's been fun taking this journey with you and hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Not gonna lie, there were days when I was pulling my hair out trying to nail down specifics, being that I haven't wrote in so long. Anyway, this chapter is FLUFF personified. Hope you had a light lunch, haha. Just kidding, Enjoy!**

**Last of my Song Inserts: (I don't think I'll be adding this into any of my upcoming stories, not sure how it flows in with the story. Let me know if you like it or hate it. I can't tell if it confuses people.)**

**Nat King Cole- The Very Thought of You (Mentioned: You'll see it.)**

**Electric Light Orchestra- Strangle Magic (Look for the usual _*GOTG*_)**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Start of A New Chapter**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"There. All done."

"So, can I look now?" Dani repeated for at least the fifteenth time in as many minutes. She carefully rubbed a section of her scalp that she could reach, already developing a monstrous hair pin headache. Not to mention her nose itched but was too terrified to scratch at the irritated skin, terrified at losing a hand by Amelia's doing if she were to smudge anything.

The redhead stood back, appraising Dani with a tight, critical eye. Appearing satisfied, the corner of her mouth lifted in a satisfied grin.

"Damn, I'm good. Yes, you can turn around."

Spinning around at a speed that almost toppled her off the vanity bench, Dani's eyes flew to the mounted mirror. Gasping, her hands flew up to cover her mouth, stunned at the reflection in the looking glass.

"Hey! None of that. You'll mess up your makeup." Amelia snapped, swatting her hands away from her face.

Dani's hair was in a half up, half down style with a thick braid crowning the back of her head. Her fingers delicately traced the intricate bronze stars and moon with pearls hairpins that scattered randomly through her locks. It was magnificent. She couldn't contain the beaming smile as she studied her newly applied makeup. It was a bit heavier than what she normally wore, the dark eyeshadow accentuating her bright green eyes. Amelia had outdone herself.

"You did a phenomenal job." She remarked in awe.

"I had a helluva template to start with. Most of that is all you, baby girl."

Amelia fiddled with the neckline of her short mint green V neck dress as Dani took an extra moment to gawk at her hair, moving closer to absently adjust the perfectly placed hair pins in her friend's hair. She chewed on her bottom lip as her wide dark blue eyes watched her friend in the mirror.

"Dani?"

"Yes?" She answered, applying another layer of lip gloss.

"Are you sure about this? I know its not legally binding but it's still a big commitment. You and Peter haven't been together that long and…well, I don't want you rushing into this because you're afraid he's gonna take off."

Dani glanced thoughtfully at Amelia via the looking glass, contemplating her words before easing her friend's trouble thoughts. She understood where Amelia was coming from. Her and Peter were moving fast but she felt deep down in her bones that she would never want anyone the way she did him.

"Amelia, I appreciate your concern and completely get what you are saying. I know what I'm doing, that this course is right for me. It's what I'm meant to do. Being separated from Peter,' she paused, struggling to convey what she felt, 'it was hell. I was miserable. It was as though only half of myself was back here on Earth. Each day that went by felt heavier, harder to shoulder the burden of existing. He knows me and I him, better than anyone else even with the years we've been apart. I know in my heart now that if he hadn't been ripped away from my life when we were kids, this, _us_, still would have been. We've lost so much time and now I don't, I won't, wait another day on the what ifs anymore. We're ready to start our forever." She explained, trying the best that she could to describe how deeply she felt for the man waiting downstairs to marry her. Her words came from her heart yet paled in comparison to how much more there was.

She could've gushed on and on but knew Amelia would end up gagging; Unsinkable could only handle so much gooey-ness.

"That's deep, Dee, and well said. I only felt like tossing my vegetarian frittata once."

Dani shook her head in amusement, turning her attention back to the mirror to put in her matching bronze and pearl earrings.

"Bitch. You brought it up."

Amelia smirked jest fully, hip checking Dani into scooting over to sit down next to her friend, her eyes going wide and uneasy.

"Alright, I'm about to get completely serious here for the first time in my life, so, listen up." She stated evenly, taking a deep breath. Dani paused, turning towards her, curiosity getting the best of her.

"I love my family dearly though they can be some straight up soul sucking D bags. You, though, you are the little sister I would have loved, hated, laughed with, cried with. But I am blessed with having you in my life, Dee. And now with Terry—" She trailed off to look away, willing herself to hold her emotions in check. Dani wrapped her arms around her, trying her best to console her. The two women had always been so close but with everything that has transpired in the last year alone, their bond grew even stronger.

"I wish things had worked out between you two. Then you would have really been my sister." Dani whispered, smashing the wall around Amelia's emotions, causing tears to stream down her pale cheeks.

"Gahhh! My makeup!" Amelia choked out, wiping at her face as she pointedly studied her reflection. Satisfied that she wasn't puffy and smeared, she turned back to face Dani.

"I thought I already was. Anyway, I can see how happy Tall, Tan and Bulging Muscles makes you and that's all I care about. So, you guys planning on taking a honeymoon trip?"

The innocent question brought Dani up short, her throat dry as she scratchily gulped, not sure how to answer. She was saved by a hesitant knock on her bedroom door.

"Stay.' Amelia barked, launching herself towards the door. 'That better not be you, Hot Pants!"

She cracked the door, suspiciously peeking through the narrow gap. Breathing easier, she pulled it open fully, revealing a timid looking Mantis.

"Hey Mantis, what's up?"

Confused by the question, her dark wide eyes lifted upwards, inspecting her surroundings.

"The ceiling is directly above us, but I sense there is another meaning to your question."

Dani snorted comically, covering her mouth. Amelia smiled earnestly, turning to stare sarcastically back at Dani.

"She's too adorable. I want to keep her."

"She isn't a pet, Amelia. How can I help you, Mantis?" Dani asked sweetly, wondering what was on her mind.

"I came by to offer my 'services' for any help that you may require in preparing for your ceremony.' Mantis replied, stepping into the room so Amelia could close the door. 'Peter was the one who suggested that I ask. He said it was common curtesy on Earth for women to do such things."

"That's very kind of you. I could use some help getting into my dress. It was my mother's. She was slimmer than me and I'm also fuller in the hips than she was.' She explained, glancing absently at her bedside clock. 'Crap! It's already 3:30. Better hurry."

She leapt up off the bench, rushing to her closet and pulled out the black garment bag. Dani stripped down to her strapless bra and panties as Amelia diligently removed the dress, appraising the lacy vintage number.

"This is so classic, timeless. I love it.' She remarked, turning her gaze to Dani, eyeing her form. 'Hope you brought the K-Y lube and saran wrap, Thunder Thighs. We may need to go old school to get you in this." Amelia teased, undoing the fabric back buttons carefully.

Dani snorted in derision.

"Go to hell, you pale ginger. Oh wait, you need a soul first."

Mantis stared at the two women in horror. "Is this how earthling friends speak to one another?"

Amelia smiled widely at her, her gaze moving to her best friend.

"No, this is how sisters talk to each other."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gamora sat back in her seat, clutching her side painfully as Nebula flew their space craft at breakneck speed through the jump point. Her dark eyes scanning the monitors in front of her in haste.

"How many more jump points?" Nebula hollered out, keeping her black eyes steadily locked on the windshield, keeping a close lookout for trouble.

"Approximately seventeen." She responded through gritted teeth, the pain in her side not helping her nerves. Nebula shook her head dejectedly.

"We're not going to make it in time."

"YES, we will. We have to." Gamora stated, a hint of finality in her tone. Her eyes flew forward, watching in anticipation as they approached another jump point.

_**(Oh man, they're going to be so pissed.)**_

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Taking deep, steady breaths, Dani willed herself not to pass out from anxiety. She bounced from one foot to the other as she stood on the top landing of the staircase, awaiting the cue from Amelia. She closed her eyes, focusing on the voices drifting up the stairs towards her.

Smiling, she could make out Mantis relentlessly questioning Drax on what was going to happen. Dani could hear the irritation in his voice as he tried his best to answer her probing questions.

Dani wiped her sweaty palm on her thigh, the lace of her mother's dress rubbing her skin.

_**(Am I overdressed? What is everyone else wearing? Oh god, what's Peter wearing?! We should have coordinated. Maybe I can change really quick.)**_

Dani nearly laughed out loud at her last thought. It had taken both Amelia and Mantis to squeeze her into the dress and she'd need at least one of them to get out of it. She gripped the banister to steady herself, not trusting her wobbling knees. She wasn't nervous about marrying Peter, more like overwhelmed at that moment by the entirety of everything leading up to now and what lay ahead of them. Her heart thumped erratically when she heard Peter's voice downstairs.

Amelia came into view at the bottom of the staircase, pressing the play button on the stereo situated on the end table, turning in Dani's direction. She waved quickly, signaling that it was time. Dani hesitated, gesturing down at her outfit.

"Do I look ok? Is it too much?" She mouthed to Amelia, who smiled up at her.

"You look wonderful. Like a sexy grandmother." She called up to Dani loudly in a teasing manner about the vintage dress once again. Dani sighed in irritation.

"Can you be normal for like, five minutes?" She asked in a normal voice.

The irritation she felt melted away, replaced with soaring happiness when the music began playing. It was Nat King Cole's version of 'The Very Thought of You'. This had Peter written all over it. Amelia moved out of sight, presumably to sit down.

Willing herself to be confidant, Dani took one last steady breath then took a tentative step down the staircase then another. Coming into view, her gaze skimmed over her friends' faces. Drax and Mantis smiled widely at her, Groot sitting on Mantis' shoulder. He waved ecstatically at her. She lifted her hand from the banister, wiggling her fingers in response. Even Rocket had an odd, amused sort of smirk on his furry face. She moved her gaze away, locking eyes with the man she had gladly give her heart to.

The look on his face made her pause for a fraction of a second on the bottom step.

He stared in full open mouthed, wide eyed wonder. As if he just witnessed something miraculous.

Peter had bitten back a snort at Amelia's grandmother comment a moment earlier. He was positive that she was perfect and was just stressing like she always did. Dani was a gorgeous woman even though she didn't see it. No matter how many times he told her so, she still blushed and would laugh awkwardly, attempting to change the subject. Peter prided himself on his song selection for her bridal walk. Not only had it been Christine's favorite song, it also perfectly described how Dani made him feel.

The creaking of the stairs pulled his attention. He recognized the dress, knowing it had been her mother's. Peter's eyes widened when Dani fully appeared from the upstairs level.

She was breathtaking.

Peter knew he was impulsive, that his cocky attitude and filter less mouth had nearly gotten him killed a thousand times over. He sometimes made horrible choices, not meaning to but doing so just the same. He occasionally wondered to himself if maybe he should have stayed away from the beginning. The life he led was perilous, dangerous and Peter felt selfish for knowingly putting Dani's safety in jeopardy. There were times when he thought that her life would be better, more stable if he wasn't apart of her world. But seeing her moving down the stairwell, glowing like an angel graciously descending from heaven, there wasn't a single shred of himself that regretted being here, being in this moment. He was the luckiest man in the universe to have the love of such a creature and he would spend the rest of their lives, no matter how long that maybe, loving and cherishing Dani as she deserved to be.

Watching her step closer, he knew that deciding all those months ago to revisit his past was the best decision he had ever made.

Closing the distance between them, Dani casually looked Peter over, smiling in approval. She was thankful that he wasn't wearing a tux or a suit, seeing him wear a simple light gray long sleeve dress shirt and black dress pants was more Peter than any expensive outfit could ever be.

"No leather I see. Pity." She teased. Peter laughed nervously, looking down at himself.

"Nope, not today. No tux. I would've looked like a penguin."

"I seriously doubt that. You would have put James Bond to shame."

His eyes roamed over her.

"And you…WOW…" Peter stuttered, his eyebrows lifting comically as he waved his hand out to her.

"Thanks." Dani replied bashfully, her trademark red creeping over her cheeks.

"No really, Dani. I have no words, nothing I can say would do you any justice." He whole heartedly professed, knocking the air out of her lungs with the seriousness in his voice.

Amelia cleared her throat obnoxiously from her seat next to Drax, alerting the two that there were others in the room, and they were here for a specific reason.

"Oh, right.' Peter stammered, taking Dani's hands in his. 'Should I go first, or do you want to?"

"You first." She replied. He smiled anxiously, exhaling slowly.

"Right, no pressure." He cleared his throat, tightening his grip on her hands, his dark green eyes locking with her bright emerald ones.

"Here goes. Daniella Rose Patrick, this, us, was meant to be. Our mothers had been best friends since childhood, as we were. You are the first and best friend I've ever had, and we were, are destined to be so much more. I wish I could've been your first everything, as I was supposed to be but hey, life happens. I promise today that I'll spend the rest of our lives being whatever you need me to be. Your best friend, your shelter from the storms to come, your lover, your husband. With you, I have found everything I've been waiting for all my life that I didn't realize was missing. I look forward with a full heart to all the laughter, the tears, the inevitable emasculating insults." Peter paused, waiting for the quiet laughter to subside before continuing.

"Returning to Earth was the best thing I've ever done because I wasn't simply reconnecting with my past. I was searching for my home and I finally found it in you. I will walk with you by your side through this life, no matter where we end up or what may come. You're all I'll ever need, my beautiful Sun Ray. I love you more than all the stars above. Forever."

Peter finished his vows, giving Dani that infamous smirk he knew made her weak in the knees. Fighting through the tightness in her throat from his declaration, Dani released a shaky breath, tears welling up in her eyes.

"That was beautiful, wow. Maybe I should have gone first. That's a hard act to follow but here goes. Peter Jason Quill, yes, you are my best friend and so, so much more. You are my destiny and you are right, don't get use to it though. I know in the deepest part of my soul that you were meant to be mine, my love, my heart. I am eternally grateful that you did not give up on me when I stupidly kept pushing you away on more than one occasion. You know how stubborn I can be and yet you look past all my flaws and insecurities and manage to still love me. From this day on til the end of time, I vow to take you willingly as my husband, my best friend, my man of the stars, my everything. I vow to be a listener when you need to vent and a shoulder when you need to cry. When you need guidance, I will do my best to assist you, guide you even though neither of us has much luck with 'plans'."

Dani paused to regain her composure, gently wiping at her eyes as she tried not to smear her mascara. Taking a deep breath, she locked her gaze with Peter's, smiling brightly at him.

"I vow to follow your lead as we set out across the galaxy together, even if we are following one of 'your plans'. I wish for nothing more than to see the universe by your side. I love you, more than my own life, Peter, and all I'm ever going to need is your hand in mine. Forever."

Peter, upon hearing her decision about their future, beamed widely, scooping her up in his arms to spin Dani around joyfully. Placing a giggling Dani back on her feet, he cupped her face, holding her close to him. She sighed happily, resting her forehead on his.

"Peter, do you take me as your wife, promising yourself to me and only me?" She whispered, tears now fully cascading down her face. Makeup be damned.

Hands still cupping her head, Peter gently wiped at her tears with his thumbs.

"I do. Dani, do you take me as your husband, promising yourself to me and only me?" He reiterated the question that they had predetermined the day before. Choking back an emotional sob, Dani nodded.

"Yes, I do, more than yes. I love you." She rushed, grabbing his neck and capturing his lips with hers, kissing him fiercely and thus, sealing their union.

Amelia jumped out of her seat, tears in her eyes as she broke out in applause, the others in attendance joining in once they realized that it was the socially acceptable response.

"My god, guests actually put themselves through this? Willingly? That was a hundred times more nauseating to watch than anything else these two cooked up before." Rocket complained. He let out a loud hiss when Drax flicked him hard in the ear.

"Stop your nonsense. That was beautiful. You should consider yourself lucky to have witnessed such an act." Drax reprimanded, turning back to smile at his newly wedded friends.

"You know, it's not normally official until the couple consummate their union. How about we sneak away for a few moments, Mrs. Quill? You look so amazing. I can't keep my hands to myself for much longer." Peter whispered into her ear, his hand sliding down her back. Dani snatched it, bringing it to rest on her hip, raising an eyebrow in disapproval.

"And abandon our guests? I think not, Husband. Besides, when has anything in our lives been normal? So, I take it you aren't going for the 'Mr. Daniella Patrick' idea?" She teased, receiving a sharp glare in response.

Arms suddenly engulfed her from the side, pulling Dani away from Peter. Realizing that Amelia practically tackled her, Dani smiled fondly as she pulled her friend close, returning the embrace.

"I'm so happy for you, both of you." She gushed, her voice shaking with emotion.

"So, you're definitely leaving this time? When were you planning on telling me?" Amelia pulled back to stare sternly at her.

"I officially decided yesterday. I'm sorry but this is what I want, what I need to do. Please try to understand." Dani reached down, grabbing Amelia's hand firmly in hers. She studied her critically, another stray tear sliding from her eyes as she nodded.

"I know how it feels, Dee. I know. I want you to be happy, no matter what."

Dani squeezed her hand once more before turning her attention to everyone else.

"Thank you so much for being here for Peter and myself today. It means the world to us. Amelia and I prepared an after dinner—"

A loud, shrill beeping from Rocket's vest cut her off. He pulled out what she recognized as a communicator, the small device ringing shrilly and lighting up like a Christmas tree. His forehead bunched up as he glanced at the screen.

"It's Gamora." He noted as he pressed the accept button.

"Hey Gamora, man, I'm jealous of wherever you and Baldy are that's not here—"

"Save it, Rocket! Are you guys on Earth?" Gamora demanded, her stressed voice putting everyone on high alert.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" He asked. Peter strode quickly over to Rocket's chair, standing behind him to focus on the screen.

"Peter! Congratulations are in order but there's no time for that. You're all in danger!"

"How do you mean?" He inquired, his face morphing into his all business look.

"Short version it is. We were on our way to the Sanctuary to go after Thanos. Nebula and I were intercepted by a fleet of slave salvagers. It's another faction that are not very happy with us destroying Turos' section. They tortured us, trying to get information on where the rest of you are. We didn't tell them, but they heard Dani's messages on my communicator and were able to pinpoint your location."

Peter groaned, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"They're on their way to Earth now. We escaped barely. We're ahead of them but they'll be there in a few hours." She explained.

"How many?" He asked in resignation.

"Too many. It gets worse. They know what planet you're on and they have no plans on being thorough with searching for you." Gamora remarked, gravely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dani cut in, moving to stand next to Peter behind Rocket. Gamora's beaten and cut up face came into view on the screen, her dark eyes turning towards Dani.

"It means they're just planning on blowing up the planet in an attempt to take you all out. One shot, job done."

Dani's stomach rolled violently, her hand shaking as they covered her mouth to stifle her gasp. She had done this. Her messages would be the end of her planet, of mankind. She spun around to face Peter.

"We have to do something."

He had fixated his gaze on her, his eyes conveying his nervousness.

"WE will. I need you to stay here, we'll handle this."

Dani's mouth gaped open. "The hell I am. I'm going too, my place is with you."

"I'll come back for you—"

"You won't need to because I'm going." Sighing, Peter gestured to her outfit.

"In that?"

Her eyes drifted down to her wedding dress then returned to his.

"Fifteen minutes and we leave. Drax, if Peter tries to leave me behind, tackle him violently."

The grey man smiled, a glint of something between evil and playful in his bright eyes. "With pleasure."

She turned to Amelia. "Mitchell. You're with me. I need your help."

Giving Peter a fast peck on the lips, Dani turned heel, all but running through the living room. She bolted for the front door, throwing it wide open and sprinted down the front steps. How she ever made it across the yard and down the rock slab walkway to the guest house in white stilettos, she couldn't fathom.

Once upstairs, Dani quickly pulled out her hairpins, yanking some strands out in the forceful process then pulled her thick curls and braid up into a secure ponytail. Amelia's fingers flew down the back of her dress, undoing the buttons.

"Dani?"

"Yes?" She asked absently as she peeled the dress off, throwing it on to the bed.

"Is this goodbye?" Amelia's voice, small and quiet, startled Dani, her black skinny jeans halfway up her thighs. Pulling them up the rest of the way, she snatched a baby blue hoodie out of the closet, throwing it on over her white tank top. Dani turned to Amelia, taking her hands.

"Only for now. I will come back to see you as soon as I can."

"That sounds like a bad breakup line."

"It's not. You're my family too, Amelia. I could never forget about you. I'm just ready for more than what Earth can offer me. I've had a taste of that life and nothing here will ever be the same."

Dani stepped away, pulling a pair of sneakers on then moved to her closed. She pulled out two large duffel bags and a backpack. Amelia raised an eyebrow in astonishment.

"Only yesterday, huh? Seems you're ready to go."

"Almost." Dani added, running over to her desk, pulling out a large and heavy manilla envelope. She handed it to Amelia.

"What's this?"

"Terry left everything to me. I donated half to charities and I'm giving the rest to you, along with the deed to my parents' estate."

Amelia's eyes nearly popped out like a cartoon character, her mouth gaping wildly.

"No. No, Dani. I can't take this." She stammered, trying to push the envelope back into Dani's hands.

"I have no use for it now. I still have more than enough to last a lifetime. I want the house to go to someone who would appreciate the memories here and I know that Terry would have wanted you to be taken care of, to live here. It should stay in the family."

Dani's eyes moved around her room, a smile creeping onto her face.

"You should move into the main house. It's all yours now after all."

Her eyes landed on the Laffy Taffy, her stuffed zebra.

"Ah! Almost forgot someone!" She raced over to the stuffed animal, looping it through a strap of one of her duffel bags.

"DANI! T minus five minutes until we need to go!" Peter's voice hollered up the first floor.

"Don't worry about your dress, I'll handle it, but I don't know what to do with all the food we cooked. Oh! The cake! What am I going to do with that?" Amelia exclaimed, clearly getting flustered.

"Breathe, Amelia. Take the food to your sister's. Lord knows those boys of hers eat like horses. Take the cake too but save the top tier. I'll make sure we're back in a year to have at it." Dani strategized as they made their way back downstairs, then heading outside and up to the main house, moving to the backyard where Peter's new ship, the Milano 2.0 she dubbed it, was parked.

Peter, already changed into his usual leather pants, matching jacket and a long sleeve shirt, ran down the platform and grabbed the duffel bags from her hands.

"Good lord, what's in here? Bricks?" He groaned, turning to Amelia.

"Well, Amelia, always a pleasure and by pleasure, I mean I'm always on the verge of filing a sexual harassment lawsuit coupled with a restraining order." Peter teased, a playful smile on his face as he extended a hand to her, which she shook as she smiled back.

"Don't act like you don't enjoy my banter. Take care, good luck and watch out for my girl."

Peter placed a bag on the ground, fishing around in his jacket pocket, producing his communicator.

"Here, take it. That way you two can stay in touch."

Amelia pocketed the device. "Thanks, Peter. So long."

He nodded once at her before heading back up the platform, giving them a moment. Literally.

"One minute, babe." He yelled back over his shoulder.

Moving forward, Dani snatched Amelia up into a crushing embrace, the two women hugging tightly

"You better come back and see me, Dee." Amelia threatened. Dani pulled away, kissing her cheek quickly.

"I promise.' She swore, giving her hands a brief squeeze with hers. 'I know you will hunt me down if I don't."

Amelia's lips quivered, trying to put on a tough face but failing miserably. "Damn straight."

She lifted her communicator. "You better call me and let me know you are alive as soon as whatever goes down, well, goes down."

The engines of the Milano 2.0 kicked on, whipping up the air around them.

Dani smiled brightly. "Have a little faith in us. We are the Guardians of the Galaxy after all."

"The what?"

"Honestly, I don't even know myself." Dani admitted.

"DANI!"

"Your ride's leaving. Be safe. I love you, Dee, and thank you, for everything you've done." Amelia said tearfully, releasing Dani's hands and stepped back a few feet.

"Stop sounding so dismal, I'll be back soon. I love you too, sis."

_***GOTG***_

Turning away from her last connection to her home world, Dani raced towards the Milano 2.0, leaping up onto the ramp that had began lifting. Peter was there, waiting for her, grabbing her arm and pulling her safely into the bay. Dani spun around, catching a last glimpse of Amelia, still wearing her mint green dress as the ship flew upwards. She waved as the ramp slid shut, seeing her friend wave back briefly before the view was obstructed.

"Wow, you really milked every second. Your bags are in our room." Peter chimed in, leading the way as they made their way through the ship and up to the cockpit. He paused when they were both in, turning to look down to her.

"Not exactly how I imagined our wedding day. I'm sorry, Dani. Gamora said she's sorry as well and that you looked beautiful. Even though you always do." He observed, running his hand up and down her forearm as he spoke.

"It's not your fault, Peter. I have you, that's all that matters." She confessed, lacing her fingers through his. Peter cupped her face, kissing her tenderly, making her heart race. He pulled back, laying his forehead against hers.

"Well, I'm upset. You look so amazing. I was eagerly looking forward to removing that dress myself, along with your panties. Slowly. With my teeth." He muttered longingly, his breath teasing her ear. Dani shivered, chills running up and down her spine at the thoughts running rampant in her head.

"There's always later." She reminded him, skimming her fingertips down his chest.

A loud, gruff voice interrupted the playful conversation.

"Ok. We're going to need to lay out some house rules later if we survive this. Mainly, you two being more away of your surroundings, what you're saying and who is within earshot."

Following the voice, Dani's gaze landed on the chair beside Peter's. Rocket's head was poking up around the side, shaking in disgust as his small eyes narrowed in on them. Dani coughed uncomfortably, taking a step away from Peter who was smiling his stupid, smug smirk.

"Sorry, Rocket." She mumbled, taking a seat behind him as Peter moved to the pilot's chair across from him.

"Yeah, yeah." He said dismissively, rolling his eyes.

Drax and Mantis climbed up into the cockpit, taking their respected seats as Rocket flew the Milano 2.0 out of the Earth's atmosphere. Groot climbed up into Drax's lap, his wide puppy eyes glancing around the cockpit curiously.

Strapping herself in, Dani looked out the large windshield, a wide, satisfied smile lighting up her face. The black vastness of space stretched out in front of them, the scattered pinpricks of distant stars and far away planets produced an inner calm for her despite what they were currently heading towards. She knew she had made the right decision.

This was her home, her family. Dani was right where she was meant to be, travelling the galaxy with the man she loved.

"Grew on you, didn't it?" Peter's calm voice pulled her gaze to his handsome face as he looked over his shoulder at her.

Smiling brightly at her husband, she nodded.

"Most definitely, I'm home."

**THE END**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

****A/N: One for the road: Thank you for taking this journey with Peter and Dani. Just a head's up. I recently had an idea for a sequel that I am still hammering out the details. So yes, there will be a sequel. And for spoilers sake, it'll be a wide net of all different characters, including a handful of Avengers. So, I'll maybe disappearing from here for a bit while I work on that piece as well as my other stories that I've mentioned before. I maybe be having some free time in the near future so I'll be working on the sequel, diversifying my time between that and my Twilight (Carlisle/OC) and Magnificent Seven (Owen/OC) fics.**

**If you are interested in reading any of the stories I listed, please feel free to add me to your author alert notifications and I'll get those out as soon as I can. Thank you once again, smell you later! =-)**


End file.
